we had something unfortunate happen to our family last week -- dork got laid off from his job (with the lousy economic times, his company cut positions across the board and as the newest employee, he was a casualty). the good news is that he's able to collect unemployment, he has lots of time to look for a job while he's home during the day, and he's able to spend time with morgan on the days that she's not in school.
for most moms, that would indeed seem like good news, and in reality, it *is* great that daddy and morgan have had some fun times together last week and this week. but as a working mom, i can't help but feel a little jealous when my husband tells me about the fun they had at the railroader's museum (and when he sends me a pic on my phone to prove it!) or feel just a bit resentful when they ask me to join them for lunch and i'm unable to because of a work commitment.
i stopped in to see them on my way to my lunch appointment last week and they were having a fun time together -- just the two of them -- but instead of feeling happy that she was having alone time with daddy during the day, i shed a few tears on my way to my meeting. i was sorry that i wasn't with them and a bit resentful that they were having fun without me and that morgan didn't cry whenever i left.
we did have lunch together today, just the three of us, and it was great -- morgan was happy to see me and we had a nice time. but when it was time to go and morgan was talking about seeing the animals at the zoo and daddy said that he'd take her there if she wanted to go, mommy guilt smacked me in the heart as i drove back to my office to finish up my afternoon while the two of them continued to play.
most of the time, i just deal with being a working mom and i manage my time at work and my time with morgan just fine. she and i do fun things together when i'm away from work and i spend all of the free time i possibly can with her or take her to activities as part of two mom's groups that i belong to, so she's by no means starved for love or playmates. but i hate that it's now my husband who's causing me to feel guilty about being a full-time working mommy; then again, i can't possibly expect for him to understand mommy guilt and i know deep down that i should just cherish the time they're spending together now, since it will hopefully be back to business-aw-usual when he finds a job and i'll wish that he was around more to be with morgan!
Friday, November 7, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
letting it all hang out...
i haven't written here in a while and i regret that. first of all, i love to write and, while i get to write occasionally for my job, it's not the creative, knock-your-socks-off creative prose that is enjoyable to write. second, blogging forces me to hone my thoughts on a topic and actually sit and ponder it for a length of time...which as a mom and a full-time employee, i don't often get to do since i'm usually running in a lot of directions and by the time i get some "me" time, it's 9pm and the last thing i feel like doing is being reflective.
fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how i look at it, i get loads of ideas to write about. those ideas, however, come at me in the most inopportune times and places, like in the shower or in the car when i'm driving to a work appointment. and while i've been known to do things like put on makeup or paint my nails while driving, even i know not to crank out a full-blown blog entry on my blackberry while on my way to dc.
another reason, though, and perhaps the most significant, is often my fear of "letting it all hang out." after all, if a blog is really to be my innermost thoughts and feelings about things, i don't always feel comfortable putting those out there....especially when the ideas i may have to write about revolve around politics, religion, or one of the many things that i find inane about society which may differ from the views of my friends or colleagues. i unfortunately have always cared too much about what others think of me...therefore, my husband (along with an ex-boyfriend or two and a few close friends) is probably the only person who would ever refer to me as a loose cannon or as opinionated or judgmental. everyone else sees me as pleasant, easygoing, and not easily rattled.
for that reason, it's easy for me to write about something funny that my daughter did or make a passing snarky comment about someone, but you'll never hear me discuss politics at work or engage in anything more than a basic smattering of religion with casual friends, and i won't engage in debates about those topics with people whose views are different than my own.
and yes, while i *do* have definite opinions on where i stand about abortion, taxes, gun control, education, and school prayer, i also have the ability to see both sides of an issue and can listen to and respect someone whose views differ from mine without the need to ram my views down their throat. i personally don't enjoy debating an issue about a heated topic -- so you can just imagine how much i hated election season, when anyone out of the blue would ask who i was voting for and then wanted to know why!! maybe that makes me seem trite or shallow...but i just don't feel that my opinion on world hunger or the size of our government is pertinent to my role as a good employee, good mom, or good friend. so go ahead and ask me about my fun trick or treat night with morgan or whether i think penn state is going to finish their season undefeated (why, that would be yes!!!)...but if you want to debate the causes of global warming or socialized medicine, talk to someone else!!
fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how i look at it, i get loads of ideas to write about. those ideas, however, come at me in the most inopportune times and places, like in the shower or in the car when i'm driving to a work appointment. and while i've been known to do things like put on makeup or paint my nails while driving, even i know not to crank out a full-blown blog entry on my blackberry while on my way to dc.
another reason, though, and perhaps the most significant, is often my fear of "letting it all hang out." after all, if a blog is really to be my innermost thoughts and feelings about things, i don't always feel comfortable putting those out there....especially when the ideas i may have to write about revolve around politics, religion, or one of the many things that i find inane about society which may differ from the views of my friends or colleagues. i unfortunately have always cared too much about what others think of me...therefore, my husband (along with an ex-boyfriend or two and a few close friends) is probably the only person who would ever refer to me as a loose cannon or as opinionated or judgmental. everyone else sees me as pleasant, easygoing, and not easily rattled.
for that reason, it's easy for me to write about something funny that my daughter did or make a passing snarky comment about someone, but you'll never hear me discuss politics at work or engage in anything more than a basic smattering of religion with casual friends, and i won't engage in debates about those topics with people whose views are different than my own.
and yes, while i *do* have definite opinions on where i stand about abortion, taxes, gun control, education, and school prayer, i also have the ability to see both sides of an issue and can listen to and respect someone whose views differ from mine without the need to ram my views down their throat. i personally don't enjoy debating an issue about a heated topic -- so you can just imagine how much i hated election season, when anyone out of the blue would ask who i was voting for and then wanted to know why!! maybe that makes me seem trite or shallow...but i just don't feel that my opinion on world hunger or the size of our government is pertinent to my role as a good employee, good mom, or good friend. so go ahead and ask me about my fun trick or treat night with morgan or whether i think penn state is going to finish their season undefeated (why, that would be yes!!!)...but if you want to debate the causes of global warming or socialized medicine, talk to someone else!!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
too much takeout
my husband, daughter and i had a super time in dc this past weekend -- we saw dinosaurs, rode the "big underground choo-choo", took a nap on the lawn of the mall (most of the 'malls' that morgan is used to going have cool shoes, but not lawns!), watched the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier, and generally had a fun and exhilarating weekend filled with gorgeous weather.
on our trip home sunday, we decided to stop off at a brewpub for some brew (that would be for Dork; since i was the DD, morgan and i had root beer =) and food. the portions were huge and we had so much food left sitting on the table, so my two-year old, in all her wisdom, turned to me. "get a box, mommy. get it to go." guess i must use those words just a little too often in our household!
on our trip home sunday, we decided to stop off at a brewpub for some brew (that would be for Dork; since i was the DD, morgan and i had root beer =) and food. the portions were huge and we had so much food left sitting on the table, so my two-year old, in all her wisdom, turned to me. "get a box, mommy. get it to go." guess i must use those words just a little too often in our household!
Monday, October 6, 2008
so much for romance...
this coming weekend marks our fifth wedding anniversary...hard to believe that I haven't killed Dork by now (although I'm sure that he has wanted to kill me on several occasions, too!!) we were planning for a nice little get-away -- neither of us have been to the smithsonian for a number of years and we thought we'd enjoy an afternoon checking out the different museums, followed by dinner in some cool downtown dc restaurant, and then drinks and some live music (he doesn't go for that much here at home, but i thought i could at least talk him into it since we'd be away from home!!) then more drinks at the hotel, a good night's sleep without the fear of being awakened, and brunch...and more time at the museums. (and yes, you should detect a theme involving much alcohol for the weekend. i have had exactly one hangover since i had morgan, and that was one too many...once a kid comes on the scene, the possibility of just lying around the house and nursing your headache and vegging in front of the tv no longer exists. the only possibilities for large amounts of alcohol consumption anymore only exist when i'm away from home!)
we were looking forward to some time for the two of us, since we really don't do much at all without morgan (and that is by choice, because i just frankly don't want to be away from her!). unfortunately, it looks like our romantic get-away weekend will now be accompanied by our daughter. my mom fell last weekend and her back is still sore, so she can't lift morgan in and out of her crib without doubling over in pain. my in-laws are consumed all weekend with their involvement in a local arts festival (my FIL has a photography display there....and my MIL has to stay with him all weekend to show her support. hmmm, passing up a chance to spend all weekend with your granddaughter to sit in a tent and help sell photos?? don't even get me started on that one...)
i'm looking forward to taking her along, but i have to admit that i'm a little bummed that we'll have to change our plans for a carefree no-set-plans weekend to one with a little more thought put into it. now naptime will need to be incorporated into our time at the museum, which will be a challenge since we'll be taking the metro into the city from our hotel in arlington, and i'm not quite sure how many 'family-friendly' hotels we'll encounter. either way, we'll have a fun time together as a family -- and when you stop to think about it, isn't celebrating family really what an anniversary is all about? if Dork and i hadn't met and married five years ago, we wouldn't have this wonderful little person in our lives that we both love with all of our hearts and who has enriched our lives more than you can ever imagine until you have a child. Dork and i will toast with wine at dinner, morgie can toast with her sippy cup with apple juice, and we'll look forward to a weekend of love and togetherness!
we were looking forward to some time for the two of us, since we really don't do much at all without morgan (and that is by choice, because i just frankly don't want to be away from her!). unfortunately, it looks like our romantic get-away weekend will now be accompanied by our daughter. my mom fell last weekend and her back is still sore, so she can't lift morgan in and out of her crib without doubling over in pain. my in-laws are consumed all weekend with their involvement in a local arts festival (my FIL has a photography display there....and my MIL has to stay with him all weekend to show her support. hmmm, passing up a chance to spend all weekend with your granddaughter to sit in a tent and help sell photos?? don't even get me started on that one...)
i'm looking forward to taking her along, but i have to admit that i'm a little bummed that we'll have to change our plans for a carefree no-set-plans weekend to one with a little more thought put into it. now naptime will need to be incorporated into our time at the museum, which will be a challenge since we'll be taking the metro into the city from our hotel in arlington, and i'm not quite sure how many 'family-friendly' hotels we'll encounter. either way, we'll have a fun time together as a family -- and when you stop to think about it, isn't celebrating family really what an anniversary is all about? if Dork and i hadn't met and married five years ago, we wouldn't have this wonderful little person in our lives that we both love with all of our hearts and who has enriched our lives more than you can ever imagine until you have a child. Dork and i will toast with wine at dinner, morgie can toast with her sippy cup with apple juice, and we'll look forward to a weekend of love and togetherness!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
the mind of a two year old...
i'm walking through target last night with morgan on one of our weekly outings, and on our way out, we decide to browse through all of the halloween candy that's been newly - and still neatly - packaged onto the racks near the checkouts. i told morgan that we should pick up a bag of candy corn for daddy and grammie, since they both love candy corn. mind you, i didn't think she even really knew what i was talking about, since she was only 1 1/2 and not exactly chowing down on candy during last year's halloween festivities. we're walking up and down the candy aisles and i'm looking at all of the different varieties on the shelves and thinking about what kind i should get for our trick-or-treaters and for morgan to take to school (on both accounts, the right kind of candy will be something that i'll enjoy snacking on if we have any left, but nothing TOO yummy so that i don't have to break through the bag and eat a bunch of it before it's actually given away!). she's saying, "candy, candy" and all of a sudden, when we stop to look at the plethora of m&m's, she spies it..."candy corn, mommy, here, candy corn." surprisingly enough, she got it right...there were the bags of candy corn, and there i was, with my mouth hanging agape, amazed that someone who doesn't fully know what the toilet is or that a brush can't be used interchangeably between your teeth and your hair would be able to pick out those little orange, white and yellow triangles. but now that she's almost three, guess i better prepare myself for lots of her revelations!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
pet peeves/rants
i have been wanting to start this post for some time now...i read a similar posting that one of my friends put on her blog and it made me think, oh yeah, that's something that really gets under my skin, too. since it seems that things have been getting under my skin more than usual later (more on that one in another posting!) it seemed like the perfect time to document all of those little things that drive me nuts. things like...
* people who put their turn signal on for four blocks before actually turning. come on, it's nice that you want to alert me, but you end up just pissing me off instead!
* people who are backing out of a parking spot and are driving with one hand and smoking with the other (saw this at B&N today....it didn't help matters that she had purple hair and a nose ring). come on, is your caffeine fix really that necessary that you cant wait 30 seconds till you pull out of the lot?!
* and speaking of purple hair and a nose ring....people who work in public-service jobs with foul-looking tattoos or piercings. i'm all for personal expression -- to an extent -- but i really don't want to look at the gaping inch-wide hole in your ear when i'm ordering my coffee from you or have to see your BFF's name inked on your arm as you give me my change.
*people that complain about how busy they are and point out how much others aren't busy enough (my place of employment has a ton of folks like this!!). if you are that busy, you should be so focused on what you're doing that you could care less whether i'm talking to a donor or surfing the web. get back to work!!
* people who can't let things go and hold grudges. perfect example? a friend of a friend of a friend of mine (yeah, that many friends removed...) still won't talk to me over a minor incident that happened between our mutual friend and i more than five years ago, and she still ignores me in public places. come on, just get a life already!
* trailer trash who just keep having more welfare babies for the rest of us. need i say more? (and no, just because you live in a trailer, that doesn't make you trash....you're trash if you're stupid and ignorant).
* no toilet paper or paper towels in public bathrooms, and people who leave disgusting, used feminine hygiene products on the floors of public bathrooms. ick, what makes you think you are too good to dispose of them and that i want to see them?! for that matter...public bathrooms in general (but unfortunately, they are a necessity sometimes).
* people who dress in their sunday finest to go to wal-mart, yet their little kids are dirty and have snotty noses and are out waaay past their bedtime. get your kids home, give them a bath, and put them to bed, dumbass!!!
* people who talk on their cell (or just talk too loud) at the movies.
* my husband, when he says he's sorry over things he has no control over. if i have a headache, he's sorry i have one....if i'm running late for work, he's sorry....if i get home from work in a lousy mood, he's sorry i had a bad day. sorry, but you don't have to be sorry -- life happens!!
* people who harm children in any way. this has always disgusted me, but now that i'm a parent, i can't bear to hear anything on the news related to this.
* speaking of kids: celebrities who give their kids god-awful names. think of how your poor kid is going to get treated when they grow up!
* strangers who don't say "thank you" or even acknowledge you when you hold the door for them.
* not washing your hands after using the restroom. one word -- EEEEEW!!!
* TELEMARKETERS! 11:00 pm on a saturday night! 4:30 am on a sunday morning! STOP IT!!!!!
* making no attempt to avoid hitting animals on the road.
* poor grammar. (yes, i know that i'm one to talk, using all lower-case letters in my postings....but i'm consistent). and by this i mean blatant misuse of the English language and not caring. u kno wut im talkin abowt?
* and the last one...people who don't realize how incredibly lucky they are to live as well as they do when there are so many people in this world living terrible lives beyond their control (and i am just as guilty of this as anyone else, when i get in my 'i've gotta shop...i've gotta have this...' mode...time to stop and realize what's really important in life).
* people who put their turn signal on for four blocks before actually turning. come on, it's nice that you want to alert me, but you end up just pissing me off instead!
* people who are backing out of a parking spot and are driving with one hand and smoking with the other (saw this at B&N today....it didn't help matters that she had purple hair and a nose ring). come on, is your caffeine fix really that necessary that you cant wait 30 seconds till you pull out of the lot?!
* and speaking of purple hair and a nose ring....people who work in public-service jobs with foul-looking tattoos or piercings. i'm all for personal expression -- to an extent -- but i really don't want to look at the gaping inch-wide hole in your ear when i'm ordering my coffee from you or have to see your BFF's name inked on your arm as you give me my change.
*people that complain about how busy they are and point out how much others aren't busy enough (my place of employment has a ton of folks like this!!). if you are that busy, you should be so focused on what you're doing that you could care less whether i'm talking to a donor or surfing the web. get back to work!!
* people who can't let things go and hold grudges. perfect example? a friend of a friend of a friend of mine (yeah, that many friends removed...) still won't talk to me over a minor incident that happened between our mutual friend and i more than five years ago, and she still ignores me in public places. come on, just get a life already!
* trailer trash who just keep having more welfare babies for the rest of us. need i say more? (and no, just because you live in a trailer, that doesn't make you trash....you're trash if you're stupid and ignorant).
* no toilet paper or paper towels in public bathrooms, and people who leave disgusting, used feminine hygiene products on the floors of public bathrooms. ick, what makes you think you are too good to dispose of them and that i want to see them?! for that matter...public bathrooms in general (but unfortunately, they are a necessity sometimes).
* people who dress in their sunday finest to go to wal-mart, yet their little kids are dirty and have snotty noses and are out waaay past their bedtime. get your kids home, give them a bath, and put them to bed, dumbass!!!
* people who talk on their cell (or just talk too loud) at the movies.
* my husband, when he says he's sorry over things he has no control over. if i have a headache, he's sorry i have one....if i'm running late for work, he's sorry....if i get home from work in a lousy mood, he's sorry i had a bad day. sorry, but you don't have to be sorry -- life happens!!
* people who harm children in any way. this has always disgusted me, but now that i'm a parent, i can't bear to hear anything on the news related to this.
* speaking of kids: celebrities who give their kids god-awful names. think of how your poor kid is going to get treated when they grow up!
* strangers who don't say "thank you" or even acknowledge you when you hold the door for them.
* not washing your hands after using the restroom. one word -- EEEEEW!!!
* TELEMARKETERS! 11:00 pm on a saturday night! 4:30 am on a sunday morning! STOP IT!!!!!
* making no attempt to avoid hitting animals on the road.
* poor grammar. (yes, i know that i'm one to talk, using all lower-case letters in my postings....but i'm consistent). and by this i mean blatant misuse of the English language and not caring. u kno wut im talkin abowt?
* and the last one...people who don't realize how incredibly lucky they are to live as well as they do when there are so many people in this world living terrible lives beyond their control (and i am just as guilty of this as anyone else, when i get in my 'i've gotta shop...i've gotta have this...' mode...time to stop and realize what's really important in life).
Sunday, August 31, 2008
a distraction waiting to happen
in addition to my full-time job and my 'job' as a mom - which i do take very seriously - i also do some freelance writing and layout/design work. since my degree is in communications and i've been writing for just about as long as i can remember, i thought taking on some freelance work would be fun and exciting, since i don't do much creative writing in my current position. well, for the most part, it IS fun except when i try to cram it in along with all of the other things that i have to get done.
right now (yes, as we speak...err, type) i'm attempting to work on a newsletter and write copy/photoshop some photos/design a eye-catching layout. all the while while it's 2am and i'm serving in church later today (in a few hours -- which means i can't shut off the alarm and put the pillow over my head and stay home) and i've got to get this newsletter done by the end of the weekend.
but instead of buckling down and working on it, i surfed the web in between writing copy (although i did find some great blogs to add to my blogroll) and tuned in to some fun shows on E!, the Style network and Bravo that I hadn't seen for awhile. well, I didn't actually mean to tune in...but they were on in the background, and my attention just got sucked to the tv and away from the laptop not more than a foot from my face. it's mazing how sometimes when you are under the gun and trying to get something done, you deep down don't want to be doing it after all and will find any other thing that can possibly divert your attention. not sure if that's a universal thing or just a me thing (adult add, anyone?!) but i remember being the same way in college -- i'd have an exam to study for or a paper to finish and instead of doing the project at hand, my roomies and i would sit up and talk or i'd make sure i took breaks every half hour or so to do something 'important' like clean up the kitchen, paint my hails, or call a friend.
and now, as it gets later and later, and as the tv selection gets worse and worse, i'm faced with the decision that i know i must make. if i continue to tune in to the show that just came on -- an infomercial on some dancing/weightloss video being hawked by a scary christina aguilera look-alike -- i know that bad karma will get me, in the form of my daughter waking up at 4am and totally wrecking any hope of sleep! instead of being a distraction waiting to happen like i normally am, i think i'm ready to allow a nice fluffy pillow and soft blanket distract me from it all. nite-nite!
right now (yes, as we speak...err, type) i'm attempting to work on a newsletter and write copy/photoshop some photos/design a eye-catching layout. all the while while it's 2am and i'm serving in church later today (in a few hours -- which means i can't shut off the alarm and put the pillow over my head and stay home) and i've got to get this newsletter done by the end of the weekend.
but instead of buckling down and working on it, i surfed the web in between writing copy (although i did find some great blogs to add to my blogroll) and tuned in to some fun shows on E!, the Style network and Bravo that I hadn't seen for awhile. well, I didn't actually mean to tune in...but they were on in the background, and my attention just got sucked to the tv and away from the laptop not more than a foot from my face. it's mazing how sometimes when you are under the gun and trying to get something done, you deep down don't want to be doing it after all and will find any other thing that can possibly divert your attention. not sure if that's a universal thing or just a me thing (adult add, anyone?!) but i remember being the same way in college -- i'd have an exam to study for or a paper to finish and instead of doing the project at hand, my roomies and i would sit up and talk or i'd make sure i took breaks every half hour or so to do something 'important' like clean up the kitchen, paint my hails, or call a friend.
and now, as it gets later and later, and as the tv selection gets worse and worse, i'm faced with the decision that i know i must make. if i continue to tune in to the show that just came on -- an infomercial on some dancing/weightloss video being hawked by a scary christina aguilera look-alike -- i know that bad karma will get me, in the form of my daughter waking up at 4am and totally wrecking any hope of sleep! instead of being a distraction waiting to happen like i normally am, i think i'm ready to allow a nice fluffy pillow and soft blanket distract me from it all. nite-nite!
Friday, August 29, 2008
can't believe it's over already :(
just as much as i was looking forward to vacation, i'm now bumming just as much that it's over. for the past few years -- actually, since morgan was born -- i've taken long weekends off, but we haven't gone anywhere for a week since she was born, and i had forgotten the sheer joy of not having to worry about a schedule or being anywhere at a given time....heck, aside from that, let's not forget the joy of not having to wear footwear that resembled anything other than a flip-flop for a week!
i also never realized just how much *STUFF* you could actually pack into an suv for a week-long trip! as i mentioned in my last entry, the days of just piling a few things into a suitcase and not giving any forethought to what you're taking are long gone now that morgan's here -- but it was a great learning experience because now i know that i won't need to take nearly as many toys or clothes on vacation next summer. i figured it was better to be prepared than to need something and not have it -- but i also found out that morgan was so exhausted by the end of a day spent swimming, building sand castles, eating ice cream on the boardwalk, riding kiddie rides and hitting the outlets with mommy that the last thing she wanted to do when she got back to the beach house was play with her toys.
undoubtedly one of the best parts of the whole week was the afternoon of the first day we arrived. we decided to just walk along the boardwalk and take in all the sights then walk on the beach for awhile. when morgan saw the sand and the waves, her eyes grew huge and the biggest smile spread across her face. "my beach! my beach!," she exclaimed, amazed by what appeared to be the world's largest sandbox beneath her tiny toes. she was a bit daunted at first by the sound of the waves crashing against the shoreline, but as she stood staring out to sea and held mommy's hand on one side and daddy's on the other and we helped her jump high over the approaching waves as we counted 1...2...3...jump!!, she loved it and couldn't wait to come back the next day, shouting "beach, i'm coming!" and running toward the sand.
when i was anticipating my vacation and thought about the fact that i wouldn't be able to lie on the beach and relax and read like i had done before morgan, i was a bit upset....but honestly, i had so much fun running after her as her little legs carried her down from our perch under our umbrella to the shoreline that i didn't even miss it. we crafted sandcastles from the plastic molds that we brought with us (and kept sending poor daddy back to fetch water to make the sand just the right consistency!) and we buried our legs and toes so they were hidden below the sandy surface. i chased after her with our videocamera, watching her as she helped daddy launch a kite on the beach at dusk. and she and i split a hot dog and a coke that we got from a beach vendor....hmmm, does eating sand count as fiber?? (and yes, i know that i'm a quasi-vegetarian and a hot dog is off limits; i also know that a two year-old shouldn't be making a diet of processed meat and soda....but this was vacation, after all).
i was also pleasantly surprised at how well morgan adapted to our new home-away-from-home. i thought she might be homesick for some toy she forgot to bring or for 'mam-mam', my mom whom she loves dearly and will choose anytime over daddy and mommy. she loved our house and explored each room as soon as we arrived, and she quickly learned what our house looked like, pointing to it as we approached it each afternoon after a long day at the beach or an evening of fun and exclaiming, "my house, my house!" (yeah, she is at that great age where she thinks everything is hers). she even made sure to say good night to the beach and the sand and the seagulls and the moon and the boardwalk each evening when we headed for home, eagerly anticipating the next day.
and now, after being back at our real home for almost a week, it's a bittersweet feeling to look back and reminisce about our week together. after all, it was morgan's first trip to the beach and the first week that the three of us spent together without the distractions of phones, computers, work concerns, daycare, and TV (ok, we cheated a little bit on that one....but it was only on for about an hour a day, when we watched Curious George in the morning!). unfortunately, we're now back into the swing of real life and i miss having her all to my self....but i'll always have great memories of our first true vacation as a family!
i also never realized just how much *STUFF* you could actually pack into an suv for a week-long trip! as i mentioned in my last entry, the days of just piling a few things into a suitcase and not giving any forethought to what you're taking are long gone now that morgan's here -- but it was a great learning experience because now i know that i won't need to take nearly as many toys or clothes on vacation next summer. i figured it was better to be prepared than to need something and not have it -- but i also found out that morgan was so exhausted by the end of a day spent swimming, building sand castles, eating ice cream on the boardwalk, riding kiddie rides and hitting the outlets with mommy that the last thing she wanted to do when she got back to the beach house was play with her toys.
undoubtedly one of the best parts of the whole week was the afternoon of the first day we arrived. we decided to just walk along the boardwalk and take in all the sights then walk on the beach for awhile. when morgan saw the sand and the waves, her eyes grew huge and the biggest smile spread across her face. "my beach! my beach!," she exclaimed, amazed by what appeared to be the world's largest sandbox beneath her tiny toes. she was a bit daunted at first by the sound of the waves crashing against the shoreline, but as she stood staring out to sea and held mommy's hand on one side and daddy's on the other and we helped her jump high over the approaching waves as we counted 1...2...3...jump!!, she loved it and couldn't wait to come back the next day, shouting "beach, i'm coming!" and running toward the sand.
when i was anticipating my vacation and thought about the fact that i wouldn't be able to lie on the beach and relax and read like i had done before morgan, i was a bit upset....but honestly, i had so much fun running after her as her little legs carried her down from our perch under our umbrella to the shoreline that i didn't even miss it. we crafted sandcastles from the plastic molds that we brought with us (and kept sending poor daddy back to fetch water to make the sand just the right consistency!) and we buried our legs and toes so they were hidden below the sandy surface. i chased after her with our videocamera, watching her as she helped daddy launch a kite on the beach at dusk. and she and i split a hot dog and a coke that we got from a beach vendor....hmmm, does eating sand count as fiber?? (and yes, i know that i'm a quasi-vegetarian and a hot dog is off limits; i also know that a two year-old shouldn't be making a diet of processed meat and soda....but this was vacation, after all).
i was also pleasantly surprised at how well morgan adapted to our new home-away-from-home. i thought she might be homesick for some toy she forgot to bring or for 'mam-mam', my mom whom she loves dearly and will choose anytime over daddy and mommy. she loved our house and explored each room as soon as we arrived, and she quickly learned what our house looked like, pointing to it as we approached it each afternoon after a long day at the beach or an evening of fun and exclaiming, "my house, my house!" (yeah, she is at that great age where she thinks everything is hers). she even made sure to say good night to the beach and the sand and the seagulls and the moon and the boardwalk each evening when we headed for home, eagerly anticipating the next day.
and now, after being back at our real home for almost a week, it's a bittersweet feeling to look back and reminisce about our week together. after all, it was morgan's first trip to the beach and the first week that the three of us spent together without the distractions of phones, computers, work concerns, daycare, and TV (ok, we cheated a little bit on that one....but it was only on for about an hour a day, when we watched Curious George in the morning!). unfortunately, we're now back into the swing of real life and i miss having her all to my self....but i'll always have great memories of our first true vacation as a family!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
vacation - and fall - are just around the corner
well, i've been eagerly anticipating this week for most of the summer, and it's finally here! yes, this is the week that my family and i leave for vacation. i'm especially excited because it will be morgan's first time ever at the beach and i hope she loves it as much as i think she will. she loves to swim, and one of her fave things to do at home is sit in her sandbox and throw sand everywhere and make a mess -- which are the two things she'll get to do a lot of next week and will hopefully love at the beach.
there's always so much pre-planning to do before vacation, though, and even more than i ever realized now that we have a child. no more grabbing a few pair of shorts, flip flops, tossing everything in a small suitcase and heading out the door -- nope, we now have to make sure we have beach umbrellas (so morgan doesn't burn in the sun), sand pails and toys for the beach (to build the perfect sandcastle and hopefully keep her from wanting to constantly eat sand or run head-on into the ocean), spf 70 in spray form (again, the no-burn thing -- a red screaming child at the beach isn't my idea of fun), a backpack to hold all of her gear at the beach (so that i can hold onto her, along with the beach chairs, umbrellas, blankets, cooler, toys, and all the other assorted stuff that will be weighing us down as we trod onto the sand). hell, i even found a site online that has vacation checklists that you can print out -- since we've never done a full-fledged vacation with a child (and yes, since i'm a control freak...) i wanted to make sure that we have all our bases covered and i'm not forgetting something vital. after all, i don't want to scar my daughter for life because i forgot to pack her fave juice boxes to drink on the beach.
her clothes have been washed and set aside for a week, and i'm finishing up the last of the laundry tonight...so now it's time to grab her toys and find that ones to take that either (a) aren't going to cause a meltdown if we happen to lose them while we're there, or (b) don't have so many pieces to them that they'll get scattered throughout the beach house we're staying in, or (c) don't require batteries to operate that will inevitably go dead while we're there, or (d) aren't so cumbersome that they'll take up valuable packing space, or (e) won't cause a meltdown because she can't play with them during the 24 hours between the time they're packed and the time we arrive at the beach. so once i narrow down that list (unfortunately, i didn't locate a list on the 'net for selecting the perfect toys to take on vacation), i will hopefully have one less thing to worry about.
as much as i love this time of the year and look forward to it each summer, there's always a melancholy sadness that goes along with it for me. summer is my favorite time of year, without a doubt -- i hate winter, hate snow and ice (even though it is quite beautiful), don't like to be cold, don't participate in winter sports because i don't like to be cold (and i live in the northeast, where we get actual winters and school delays and closings), yada yada. problem is, right after summer is over, fall is quickly ushered in, and that means winter isn't far behind. in my mind, once vacation is over, it's all downhill from there because cold weather will soon be on its way....and along with it, snow, ice, and darkness when i get up and when i leave my office at the end of the day.
even though i'm a glass-is-half-full kinda gal, this is one thing that's always gotten me down as long as i can remember in my adult life. i've always fought to stay positive after i get home from vacation, but i don't totally succeed. sure, this year will be fun because morgan will be more into halloween and we'll have so much fun picking out our costume and dressing up. the chancellor at the college where i work has an awesome halloween party for faculty and staff at her home and i look forward each year to dressing up and having a great time. and fall is no doubt very beautiful where i live, and morgan and i will have a great time jumping in the piles of leaves and picking out pumpkins, and we might even attempt a corn maze this year, which was hard to do in a stoller last fall. but that dark cloud of impending winter still permeates my thoughts and bums me out. i'll try more than ever to not let it interfere with enjoying all the great moments of the season with my husband and daughter that i possibly can....and who knows, maybe i'll even find a checklist online that will tell me all i need to do to have the perfect winter!! if you have any ideas to keep me bright and sunny instead of cold and dreary, do share :)
there's always so much pre-planning to do before vacation, though, and even more than i ever realized now that we have a child. no more grabbing a few pair of shorts, flip flops, tossing everything in a small suitcase and heading out the door -- nope, we now have to make sure we have beach umbrellas (so morgan doesn't burn in the sun), sand pails and toys for the beach (to build the perfect sandcastle and hopefully keep her from wanting to constantly eat sand or run head-on into the ocean), spf 70 in spray form (again, the no-burn thing -- a red screaming child at the beach isn't my idea of fun), a backpack to hold all of her gear at the beach (so that i can hold onto her, along with the beach chairs, umbrellas, blankets, cooler, toys, and all the other assorted stuff that will be weighing us down as we trod onto the sand). hell, i even found a site online that has vacation checklists that you can print out -- since we've never done a full-fledged vacation with a child (and yes, since i'm a control freak...) i wanted to make sure that we have all our bases covered and i'm not forgetting something vital. after all, i don't want to scar my daughter for life because i forgot to pack her fave juice boxes to drink on the beach.
her clothes have been washed and set aside for a week, and i'm finishing up the last of the laundry tonight...so now it's time to grab her toys and find that ones to take that either (a) aren't going to cause a meltdown if we happen to lose them while we're there, or (b) don't have so many pieces to them that they'll get scattered throughout the beach house we're staying in, or (c) don't require batteries to operate that will inevitably go dead while we're there, or (d) aren't so cumbersome that they'll take up valuable packing space, or (e) won't cause a meltdown because she can't play with them during the 24 hours between the time they're packed and the time we arrive at the beach. so once i narrow down that list (unfortunately, i didn't locate a list on the 'net for selecting the perfect toys to take on vacation), i will hopefully have one less thing to worry about.
as much as i love this time of the year and look forward to it each summer, there's always a melancholy sadness that goes along with it for me. summer is my favorite time of year, without a doubt -- i hate winter, hate snow and ice (even though it is quite beautiful), don't like to be cold, don't participate in winter sports because i don't like to be cold (and i live in the northeast, where we get actual winters and school delays and closings), yada yada. problem is, right after summer is over, fall is quickly ushered in, and that means winter isn't far behind. in my mind, once vacation is over, it's all downhill from there because cold weather will soon be on its way....and along with it, snow, ice, and darkness when i get up and when i leave my office at the end of the day.
even though i'm a glass-is-half-full kinda gal, this is one thing that's always gotten me down as long as i can remember in my adult life. i've always fought to stay positive after i get home from vacation, but i don't totally succeed. sure, this year will be fun because morgan will be more into halloween and we'll have so much fun picking out our costume and dressing up. the chancellor at the college where i work has an awesome halloween party for faculty and staff at her home and i look forward each year to dressing up and having a great time. and fall is no doubt very beautiful where i live, and morgan and i will have a great time jumping in the piles of leaves and picking out pumpkins, and we might even attempt a corn maze this year, which was hard to do in a stoller last fall. but that dark cloud of impending winter still permeates my thoughts and bums me out. i'll try more than ever to not let it interfere with enjoying all the great moments of the season with my husband and daughter that i possibly can....and who knows, maybe i'll even find a checklist online that will tell me all i need to do to have the perfect winter!! if you have any ideas to keep me bright and sunny instead of cold and dreary, do share :)
Friday, August 8, 2008
blogging with good intentions
although i love writing entries in here, i (obviously!!) don't write them often enough. it seems like everyday life often gets in the way of just taking a few minutes out of my day to be creative and reflect on my thoughts.
unfortunately, with a two-year old, most of my reflective thoughts come at inopportune times to write about them: the solitude of my 20-minute commute to work each morning (OK, i use solitude really loosely here...for me, solitude is having my radio blaring, listening to either my favorite morning show or whatever CD i pop in that gets me awake and ready to hit the day running), washing dishes and loading the dishwasher after my daughter's gone to bed, in the shower as the water pulses down my back and i'm waking up. you get the picture -- i get inspired whenever my laptop happens not to be around. i'm a techno-geek and all, but i still haven't figured out how to write a blog entry from my phone -- which is probably a good thing, given that i was texting someone a few weeks ago as i went through a drive-thru for a cup of coffee and now have a nice scratch on the side of my door to show for it! guess that shows what too much multitasking will get me.
i get these great thoughts of what to write about....last week, on my way to the office, i decided that i just had to tell about my daughter experiencing her sandbox for the very first time....but by the time i parked my car, grabbed a cup of coffee, shot the bull for a minute with my co-workers, checked my e-mail and listened to my voice messages, any thoughts i had about making a new blog entry were quickly replaced by what donor i was visiting that day and how many phone calls i had to return. this morning, too, i had every good intention of talking about Dork's struggle that he's going through this week and how i'm trying to be a supportive wife from 100 miles away (he is away on business all week....and he's trying to quit smoking). however, i had to review a proposal that was on my desk, answer a few e-mails to people i'm planning on visiting in maryland next week, and look up some info i needed for a 10am meeting and my computer wouldn't cooperate. after doing that, writing a blog was the furtherest thing from my mind.
and now, even as i sit at my desk finishing my lunch and enjoying a few minutes of computer surfing before i try to overcome my writer's block and finish the three reports i have to do by the end of the day, i don't feel very reflective and contemplative....but i do know that just when i least expect it this weekend, i'll have a great idea for my next blog entry rush through my mind. unfortunately, you'll probably never get to read it!!!
unfortunately, with a two-year old, most of my reflective thoughts come at inopportune times to write about them: the solitude of my 20-minute commute to work each morning (OK, i use solitude really loosely here...for me, solitude is having my radio blaring, listening to either my favorite morning show or whatever CD i pop in that gets me awake and ready to hit the day running), washing dishes and loading the dishwasher after my daughter's gone to bed, in the shower as the water pulses down my back and i'm waking up. you get the picture -- i get inspired whenever my laptop happens not to be around. i'm a techno-geek and all, but i still haven't figured out how to write a blog entry from my phone -- which is probably a good thing, given that i was texting someone a few weeks ago as i went through a drive-thru for a cup of coffee and now have a nice scratch on the side of my door to show for it! guess that shows what too much multitasking will get me.
i get these great thoughts of what to write about....last week, on my way to the office, i decided that i just had to tell about my daughter experiencing her sandbox for the very first time....but by the time i parked my car, grabbed a cup of coffee, shot the bull for a minute with my co-workers, checked my e-mail and listened to my voice messages, any thoughts i had about making a new blog entry were quickly replaced by what donor i was visiting that day and how many phone calls i had to return. this morning, too, i had every good intention of talking about Dork's struggle that he's going through this week and how i'm trying to be a supportive wife from 100 miles away (he is away on business all week....and he's trying to quit smoking). however, i had to review a proposal that was on my desk, answer a few e-mails to people i'm planning on visiting in maryland next week, and look up some info i needed for a 10am meeting and my computer wouldn't cooperate. after doing that, writing a blog was the furtherest thing from my mind.
and now, even as i sit at my desk finishing my lunch and enjoying a few minutes of computer surfing before i try to overcome my writer's block and finish the three reports i have to do by the end of the day, i don't feel very reflective and contemplative....but i do know that just when i least expect it this weekend, i'll have a great idea for my next blog entry rush through my mind. unfortunately, you'll probably never get to read it!!!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
libraries -- a refuge of peace? not so much for me
when i was little, i used to love going to the library with my mom to check out my favorite books and play in the kiddie area. i've always loved books, but my love of the library was replaced by not-so-pleasant feelings when i went to college and had to research topics in "the stacks," which, at penn state, are dark, narrow and creepy corridors that reek of stale air and old books. those experiences, along with having to do mandatory sorority study hours in the library (come on, i would rather have chatted with my sisters about what party we were going to that night than have to crack open a boring oriental philosophy or history of communications book!) gave me a less-than-savory feeling about libraries.
after i graduated from penn state, and then grad school, i thought i'd give libraries another chance, now that i wasn't *forced* to use them for boring research. i went to my little hometown library, where i enjoyed going as a kid, and got an adult library card and checked out some books about my new career and some fun reading, and i had a great relationship with my library -- for a few years.
since i was going fairly regularly and reading quite a bit, i decided to check out a whole stack of books on some of the locations that dork and i were thinking of going for our honeymoon. frommers, fodor, lonely planet, you name them, i checked them out, with great intention of reading them all and doing some research on what island locations would be the most tranquil, have the best beaches and, of course, have the best shopping. (only kidding about that last one....mostly).
i did manage to read and get great info, but in the process of planning my wedding, packing away a lot of my stuff and moving dork's stuff in to my (our) townhouse, three of the books got misplaced/packed away/thrown out/kicked under the bed, or otherwise sucked into that big black hole that exists when you can't find something you're l0oking for. i returned the remaining 10 or so books that i had....and getting caught up in married life, then enjoying the barnes & noble that had opened, and then becoming pregnant, i hadn't visited the library in a few years because i was occupied with other concerns. but now that my concern at hand was the little peanut growing inside, i thought i'd head to the library to check out some books on parenting and healthy baby development. i almost had a hormonal meltdown when i went to check out my books and the library tech said that i couldn't get them -- because i had built up $100 in fines!! that wasn't exactly what i had planned for, and in my pregnant state, i didn't handle the news so well....so i slammed my books on the counter and stormed out, never to return again....until this week.
i went there to pick out some books for an elderly friend of mine who recently had surgery and can't drive for awhile. she loaned me her library card and gave me a list of what she wanted, so i buzzed through the stacks over my lunch break and even found her some vhs tapes on the railroad that i thought she would enjoy watching. i marched up to the circulation desk and presented the materials and the library card of "mrs. jane doe" and the lady checked them out and uneventfully slid them down to the end of the counter.
i figured that i'd take care of getting my daughter a library card while i was there, and she proceeded to help me with that. that is, up until i gave her my daughter's last name, which didn't match mine of "d0e". the following exchange then ensued:
"i can't let you take these books."
"you mean these, that i just checked out?"
"yes, because they're not yours."
"but i got them for my friend and this is her library card, which you just used to check the books out on."
"yes but i thought that was you."
"so you're saying i could have taken the books if i wouldn't have mentioned my daughter's last name, which was different than what was on the card."
(silence)
"my friend is elderly and can't drive, and she can't come to the library right now."
"well, she'll have to come in to sign a form saying that she's homebound, and then we will put that on file, and then a family member of hers can check out books for her."
"but her family live out of the area. i have her number on my cell -- let me call her and she'll give you authorization for me to pick them up."
"are you a family member? if not, don't bother calling her."
"no, i just told you, her family live out of town."
(again, silence)
"so, if i understand you, i just spent 1/2 hour out of my day looking for books, waiting in line for 15 minutes to check them out, actually checking them out, but then not being able to take them because i'm not a family member on record."
(note: i didn't exactly resemble someone intending to rip off a library in broad daylight, as i stood there in a pant suit and heels, carrying my coach bag in one hand and cell in the other).
"that's correct. so...do you think you'll be back for the books, because if you come back, we'll have to re-check them out again?"
once again...there was a slam and a storm....and a big apology to my friend for coming up empty-handed when i visited her later in the day. i'm not exactly sure if it will be a few years until i visit the library again....but i do know that i don't encounter that kind of "customer service" at barnes & noble. and last time i checked, my local library didn't have scones and infusions of caffeine readily available, so bet you can guess where i'll be doing most of my reading in the future.
after i graduated from penn state, and then grad school, i thought i'd give libraries another chance, now that i wasn't *forced* to use them for boring research. i went to my little hometown library, where i enjoyed going as a kid, and got an adult library card and checked out some books about my new career and some fun reading, and i had a great relationship with my library -- for a few years.
since i was going fairly regularly and reading quite a bit, i decided to check out a whole stack of books on some of the locations that dork and i were thinking of going for our honeymoon. frommers, fodor, lonely planet, you name them, i checked them out, with great intention of reading them all and doing some research on what island locations would be the most tranquil, have the best beaches and, of course, have the best shopping. (only kidding about that last one....mostly).
i did manage to read and get great info, but in the process of planning my wedding, packing away a lot of my stuff and moving dork's stuff in to my (our) townhouse, three of the books got misplaced/packed away/thrown out/kicked under the bed, or otherwise sucked into that big black hole that exists when you can't find something you're l0oking for. i returned the remaining 10 or so books that i had....and getting caught up in married life, then enjoying the barnes & noble that had opened, and then becoming pregnant, i hadn't visited the library in a few years because i was occupied with other concerns. but now that my concern at hand was the little peanut growing inside, i thought i'd head to the library to check out some books on parenting and healthy baby development. i almost had a hormonal meltdown when i went to check out my books and the library tech said that i couldn't get them -- because i had built up $100 in fines!! that wasn't exactly what i had planned for, and in my pregnant state, i didn't handle the news so well....so i slammed my books on the counter and stormed out, never to return again....until this week.
i went there to pick out some books for an elderly friend of mine who recently had surgery and can't drive for awhile. she loaned me her library card and gave me a list of what she wanted, so i buzzed through the stacks over my lunch break and even found her some vhs tapes on the railroad that i thought she would enjoy watching. i marched up to the circulation desk and presented the materials and the library card of "mrs. jane doe" and the lady checked them out and uneventfully slid them down to the end of the counter.
i figured that i'd take care of getting my daughter a library card while i was there, and she proceeded to help me with that. that is, up until i gave her my daughter's last name, which didn't match mine of "d0e". the following exchange then ensued:
"i can't let you take these books."
"you mean these, that i just checked out?"
"yes, because they're not yours."
"but i got them for my friend and this is her library card, which you just used to check the books out on."
"yes but i thought that was you."
"so you're saying i could have taken the books if i wouldn't have mentioned my daughter's last name, which was different than what was on the card."
(silence)
"my friend is elderly and can't drive, and she can't come to the library right now."
"well, she'll have to come in to sign a form saying that she's homebound, and then we will put that on file, and then a family member of hers can check out books for her."
"but her family live out of the area. i have her number on my cell -- let me call her and she'll give you authorization for me to pick them up."
"are you a family member? if not, don't bother calling her."
"no, i just told you, her family live out of town."
(again, silence)
"so, if i understand you, i just spent 1/2 hour out of my day looking for books, waiting in line for 15 minutes to check them out, actually checking them out, but then not being able to take them because i'm not a family member on record."
(note: i didn't exactly resemble someone intending to rip off a library in broad daylight, as i stood there in a pant suit and heels, carrying my coach bag in one hand and cell in the other).
"that's correct. so...do you think you'll be back for the books, because if you come back, we'll have to re-check them out again?"
once again...there was a slam and a storm....and a big apology to my friend for coming up empty-handed when i visited her later in the day. i'm not exactly sure if it will be a few years until i visit the library again....but i do know that i don't encounter that kind of "customer service" at barnes & noble. and last time i checked, my local library didn't have scones and infusions of caffeine readily available, so bet you can guess where i'll be doing most of my reading in the future.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
hormones -- and hair -- from hell
i don't know about you, but i always was under the impression that, once you hit about 18, your 'girl' hormones got under control and all of the icky acne problems that occurred around *that* time of the month were suddenly wiped out, leaving you with nothing but rosy, smooth, and glowing skin all the time.
why, then, if that's the case, did i wake up this morning with a brand new zit that's big enough to have its own zip code? (mind you, i'm twice the age of someone who should be affected by hormones, so it's not like i'm reliving my second puberty or anything!) as i peered in the mirror this morning and saw an oily nose and forehead staring back at me -- and a forehead that now too closely resembled that of my cromagnon ancestors -- i debated whether it was even worth it to pile on loads of makeup to try and cover that sucker up. but then i came to my senses and devised what i thought was a perfectly reasonable plan as i finished getting ready for work and was ready to leave the house: i would cut my bangs to cover the zit!
never mind that i just got my hair cut last week. never mind that my bangs were already neatly brushed over to the side and i was having a semi-good hair morning. and never mind that, as usual, i was running out the door to get my daughter to daycare and get to work at a reasonable time (i can't say 'get to work on time', because that rarely happens!) no, that all went out the window when i deduced that i suddenly needed fringe hanging straight down to cover my forehead, and i needed it done NOW.
i went on a mission to find small manicure scissors, then proceeded to pull my bangs straight down over my eyes and lopped off about 1/2 inch or so, so that the forehead was bare no longer and the red spot was now incognito. i brushed off all the little hair fuzzies from my shirt (or is it blouse? i never know which is which...) and re-styled my hair so that my newly-shorn bangs hung stylishly over my forehead. guess it would have probably saved time to have just put a dab of concealer on and run out the door -- but the other rotten part about the wrath of female hormones? we don't always think rationally when aunt flo is in town. any female can attest to that -- and any man who lives with one of us certainly can!
why, then, if that's the case, did i wake up this morning with a brand new zit that's big enough to have its own zip code? (mind you, i'm twice the age of someone who should be affected by hormones, so it's not like i'm reliving my second puberty or anything!) as i peered in the mirror this morning and saw an oily nose and forehead staring back at me -- and a forehead that now too closely resembled that of my cromagnon ancestors -- i debated whether it was even worth it to pile on loads of makeup to try and cover that sucker up. but then i came to my senses and devised what i thought was a perfectly reasonable plan as i finished getting ready for work and was ready to leave the house: i would cut my bangs to cover the zit!
never mind that i just got my hair cut last week. never mind that my bangs were already neatly brushed over to the side and i was having a semi-good hair morning. and never mind that, as usual, i was running out the door to get my daughter to daycare and get to work at a reasonable time (i can't say 'get to work on time', because that rarely happens!) no, that all went out the window when i deduced that i suddenly needed fringe hanging straight down to cover my forehead, and i needed it done NOW.
i went on a mission to find small manicure scissors, then proceeded to pull my bangs straight down over my eyes and lopped off about 1/2 inch or so, so that the forehead was bare no longer and the red spot was now incognito. i brushed off all the little hair fuzzies from my shirt (or is it blouse? i never know which is which...) and re-styled my hair so that my newly-shorn bangs hung stylishly over my forehead. guess it would have probably saved time to have just put a dab of concealer on and run out the door -- but the other rotten part about the wrath of female hormones? we don't always think rationally when aunt flo is in town. any female can attest to that -- and any man who lives with one of us certainly can!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
to bee or not to bee
so, i know i rip on Dork a lot for not pulling his weight and being a typical male who has to be told to do everything and who doesn't *want* to want to do things....but i do feel badly about something i asked him to do that went terribly wrong.
we have an awning over the front of our house, and i've noticed a small wasp nest being built over the past few weeks in the upper corner, nest to the roof. in the vein of "if i want something done, i'll do it myself," i attempted to knock the little sucker down myself about a week ago, but it was kinda hidden under the awning and i couldn't see it and was afraid to just take a whack at it and have it fall down on top of me. after hearing me complain about it one too many times, Dork said he'd take care of it, and he proceded to buy some wasp and hornet spray at home depot over the weekend.
we chatted on the phone yesterday -- i was at work and he had the day off -- and we agreed that we'd go to see a baseball game with our daughter that evening. we talked about what we'd have for dinner and we discussed how my day was going. then he casually mentioned it: he had taken care of the wasp nest. in the process? five stings and a beat up leg. he promised me that he didn't look like quasimoto with a swollen, huge forehead or anything, but i couldn't even imagine getting stung FIVE times. unfortunately, our family's beekeeper outfit was at the drycleaners (OK, that's one thing neither Dork nor I have ever been for Halloween, although we've been many other odd characters...) so he had no protection other than his madras plaid shorts, flip flops and t-shirt (assuming he wasn't out there bare-chested, which maybe i shouldn't assume).
knock on wood, i have never gotten stung and am kinda skeeved out about it ever happening, since i don't even know if i'm allergic to bee stings. but i felt so horrible after he told me what happened, like i was mostly responsible for his ill fated incident. evidently, when he aimed the spray can at the nest, the bees just went crazy and flew at him. he said he was flailing around and got stuck in the hedges (he had to stand in the middle of the hedge to reach the wasp nest, hence the scratches and scrapes all over his leg). i'll bet our neighbors wondered what kind of funky dance my husband was doing outside in the front of the yard!
i dug out the neosporin when i got home from work and gave Dork some tlc for his bee-fighting efforts. but the real kicker to his pain and suffering? the stupid nest is still there, and the little suckers are still flying in and flying out; although i did spy a few dead ones on the pavemet this morning, so his spraying wasn't all in vain. let's hope the effects of the spray kick in over the next day or two so we can knock the nest down before Dork becomes their afternoon snack once again!
we have an awning over the front of our house, and i've noticed a small wasp nest being built over the past few weeks in the upper corner, nest to the roof. in the vein of "if i want something done, i'll do it myself," i attempted to knock the little sucker down myself about a week ago, but it was kinda hidden under the awning and i couldn't see it and was afraid to just take a whack at it and have it fall down on top of me. after hearing me complain about it one too many times, Dork said he'd take care of it, and he proceded to buy some wasp and hornet spray at home depot over the weekend.
we chatted on the phone yesterday -- i was at work and he had the day off -- and we agreed that we'd go to see a baseball game with our daughter that evening. we talked about what we'd have for dinner and we discussed how my day was going. then he casually mentioned it: he had taken care of the wasp nest. in the process? five stings and a beat up leg. he promised me that he didn't look like quasimoto with a swollen, huge forehead or anything, but i couldn't even imagine getting stung FIVE times. unfortunately, our family's beekeeper outfit was at the drycleaners (OK, that's one thing neither Dork nor I have ever been for Halloween, although we've been many other odd characters...) so he had no protection other than his madras plaid shorts, flip flops and t-shirt (assuming he wasn't out there bare-chested, which maybe i shouldn't assume).
knock on wood, i have never gotten stung and am kinda skeeved out about it ever happening, since i don't even know if i'm allergic to bee stings. but i felt so horrible after he told me what happened, like i was mostly responsible for his ill fated incident. evidently, when he aimed the spray can at the nest, the bees just went crazy and flew at him. he said he was flailing around and got stuck in the hedges (he had to stand in the middle of the hedge to reach the wasp nest, hence the scratches and scrapes all over his leg). i'll bet our neighbors wondered what kind of funky dance my husband was doing outside in the front of the yard!
i dug out the neosporin when i got home from work and gave Dork some tlc for his bee-fighting efforts. but the real kicker to his pain and suffering? the stupid nest is still there, and the little suckers are still flying in and flying out; although i did spy a few dead ones on the pavemet this morning, so his spraying wasn't all in vain. let's hope the effects of the spray kick in over the next day or two so we can knock the nest down before Dork becomes their afternoon snack once again!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
waste of a good outfit
so yesterday i was scheduled to have a meeting with a donor (ok, a prospective donor, which is someone who's never given money before but might have some interest...) and being the consummate professional i am, i picked out the least-wrinkled suit i had hanging in my closet (you know, one of the ones that miraculously didn't end up covered with dog hair or crayon from the last time i wore it), and the heels that don't kill my feet *too* much. i even spent the extra five minutes it took to flip the ends of my hair under (which i'm generally too lazy to do).
i had taken the past two days off for vacation to get things done at home (more about that tomorrow!) and i really did take a true vacation this time -- didn't check my voice mail or e-mail once in those days! but what do i get for not checking, you ask? a waste of a good outfit. turns out my donor-man decided he didn't want me to waste my time by coming to visit him and had left a message with one of my colleagues to let me know -- but dumb-ass me didn't find out until it was too late, so i had the pleasure of sitting in the office all day with a stuffy suit and heels on when i could have been comfy! oh well, that will teach me to try and distance myself from the office!
i had taken the past two days off for vacation to get things done at home (more about that tomorrow!) and i really did take a true vacation this time -- didn't check my voice mail or e-mail once in those days! but what do i get for not checking, you ask? a waste of a good outfit. turns out my donor-man decided he didn't want me to waste my time by coming to visit him and had left a message with one of my colleagues to let me know -- but dumb-ass me didn't find out until it was too late, so i had the pleasure of sitting in the office all day with a stuffy suit and heels on when i could have been comfy! oh well, that will teach me to try and distance myself from the office!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
the wife gene
washing dishes late at night always seems to bring out the worst in me. it happened again last night as i was scrubbing the pots and pans from dinner and putting away the leftovers and loading the dishwasher. i had put morgan to bed and she was asleep, and Dork was in his usual position -- on the couch, with the laptop glued to his legs and south park blaring in the background.
don't get me wrong, he works a 40-hour week just like i do, but i always get infuriated when i'm at the sink or folding my daughter's clothes or clearing off the table after dinner and he's nowhere to be found. last night, while mindlessly scraping the remains of the stir-fried tofu out of the bottom of the skillet (which, by the way, was a pretty tasty addition to my newfound diet....and morgan loved, it too! hmmm, maybe because i told her it was potatoes?!), my thoughts went back to the same ramblings they always do when i'm standing at the sink and he's in the livng room on the computer. for some reason, i get infuriated that i'm cleaning up his dishes while he's enjoying himself -- and it hit me especially hard last night because he had the day off, so it wasn't like he had either a physically or mentally taxing day!
bad part is, i don't know if i'm the only gal that feels this way -- other women seem perfectly content to do their husband's laundry, pick up their husband's clothes off of the floor, clear their dishes, and clean up after them. i end up feeling resentful when i do those things, yet society makes you feel like those are your wifely duties. maybe i didn't get a full helping of the wife gene when it was being doled out?!?
i thought for awhile that my resentfulness was a generational thing -- after all, my mom and mother-in-law are both from the generation in which men's and women's roles in the home were more clearly defined. i don't necessarily believe that anymore; there are women i know that don't seem bothered by cooking and cleaning while their husbands don't contribute to the household. a good friend who's my age makes dinner for her husband every night and even gets a meal ready for him when she's not going to be there, so that he's taken care of -- am i wrong for not even giving a second thought to what my husband is going to have for dinner when i go out of town for work? after all, he's an adult that survived on his own for four years away from home in college -- if he can't survive on mac and cheese and pizza, that's not my fault!
it's not like i acquired those thoughts from growing up at home, either. my mom cooked the majority of the meals, she did the laundry, she did the cleaning, and she primarily took care of me. my dad, however, did clean up after himself, helped my mom around the house with odd jobs and with some cleaning, and was definitely a hands-on dad. he was also a 'neat' person -- he's not the type of man that would have left his dirty boxers lying on the floor for someone to either step over or pick up. and if he did, he wouldn't have expected my mom to pick them up. maybe Dork doesn't actually *expect* me to do that, but if i don't do it, it doesn't get done.
i guess with me, it comes down to the notion that you always hear about the difference between men and women is that women don't keep score until the score is really uneven. sometimes i feel like the score is off in our relationship and that's what makes me upset. i don't want to have to *ask* him to help, i want him to *want* to help. i'm a full believer in equality -- we're both responsible for household duties and for taking care of morgan, or at least that's what we agreed on when we started kicking around the idea of getting married almost six years ago. however, Dork grew up in a traditionally male-dominated household where his mom did most of the work and took care of the kids, while his dad made a living for them and had a career. maybe that's why he acts like he does, since that's what he grew up with -- but it still doesn't help me feel any better about the issue at hand, where i'm damned if i do the dishes and pick up after him (because then i feel resentful) and i'm damned if i don't (because then they pile up and we have a mess!). until i figure out a solution, i'll see you at 11PM at my kitchen sink, and i'll bring the snark.
don't get me wrong, he works a 40-hour week just like i do, but i always get infuriated when i'm at the sink or folding my daughter's clothes or clearing off the table after dinner and he's nowhere to be found. last night, while mindlessly scraping the remains of the stir-fried tofu out of the bottom of the skillet (which, by the way, was a pretty tasty addition to my newfound diet....and morgan loved, it too! hmmm, maybe because i told her it was potatoes?!), my thoughts went back to the same ramblings they always do when i'm standing at the sink and he's in the livng room on the computer. for some reason, i get infuriated that i'm cleaning up his dishes while he's enjoying himself -- and it hit me especially hard last night because he had the day off, so it wasn't like he had either a physically or mentally taxing day!
bad part is, i don't know if i'm the only gal that feels this way -- other women seem perfectly content to do their husband's laundry, pick up their husband's clothes off of the floor, clear their dishes, and clean up after them. i end up feeling resentful when i do those things, yet society makes you feel like those are your wifely duties. maybe i didn't get a full helping of the wife gene when it was being doled out?!?
i thought for awhile that my resentfulness was a generational thing -- after all, my mom and mother-in-law are both from the generation in which men's and women's roles in the home were more clearly defined. i don't necessarily believe that anymore; there are women i know that don't seem bothered by cooking and cleaning while their husbands don't contribute to the household. a good friend who's my age makes dinner for her husband every night and even gets a meal ready for him when she's not going to be there, so that he's taken care of -- am i wrong for not even giving a second thought to what my husband is going to have for dinner when i go out of town for work? after all, he's an adult that survived on his own for four years away from home in college -- if he can't survive on mac and cheese and pizza, that's not my fault!
it's not like i acquired those thoughts from growing up at home, either. my mom cooked the majority of the meals, she did the laundry, she did the cleaning, and she primarily took care of me. my dad, however, did clean up after himself, helped my mom around the house with odd jobs and with some cleaning, and was definitely a hands-on dad. he was also a 'neat' person -- he's not the type of man that would have left his dirty boxers lying on the floor for someone to either step over or pick up. and if he did, he wouldn't have expected my mom to pick them up. maybe Dork doesn't actually *expect* me to do that, but if i don't do it, it doesn't get done.
i guess with me, it comes down to the notion that you always hear about the difference between men and women is that women don't keep score until the score is really uneven. sometimes i feel like the score is off in our relationship and that's what makes me upset. i don't want to have to *ask* him to help, i want him to *want* to help. i'm a full believer in equality -- we're both responsible for household duties and for taking care of morgan, or at least that's what we agreed on when we started kicking around the idea of getting married almost six years ago. however, Dork grew up in a traditionally male-dominated household where his mom did most of the work and took care of the kids, while his dad made a living for them and had a career. maybe that's why he acts like he does, since that's what he grew up with -- but it still doesn't help me feel any better about the issue at hand, where i'm damned if i do the dishes and pick up after him (because then i feel resentful) and i'm damned if i don't (because then they pile up and we have a mess!). until i figure out a solution, i'll see you at 11PM at my kitchen sink, and i'll bring the snark.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
skinny bitch
sunday, morgan and i were browsing in our local target after church -- i had been out of town for work this week and didn't get around to picking up father's day cards, even though we had plenty of gifts for Dork. (i always put off buying a father's day card until the last possible minute....my dad passed away eight years ago and it still pains me to browse through the cards and see the ones that i would have picked out to give to my dad...so now i try to take the emphasis off of me and do it through my daughter's eyes and just look for cards that are suitable for a two year-old to give to her daddy!)
it never fails that, when i'm in target, i have to stop by the books and magazine racks, just to browse and see what's new. i perused two paperbacks, 'harvesting the heart' by jodi picoult and one called 'momzillas,' which looked funny, since it was about the struggles of upper-crust mommies in manhattan. i put them both in my cart, since i'll need some good chick lit to read at the beach this summer (meaning, after my daughter goes to bed at night!), and another book finally beckoned me to pick it up. i've noticed 'skinny bitch' many times before when i browsed the book aisles but never picked up, but today i decided to, and even tossed it in my cart...i figured, i can spend $11.20 and if it teaches me at least one good weight-loss technique, then it's worth it, right?
since i hadn't started another book after finishing 'such a pretty fat' by jen lancaster two weeks ago, i cracked open 'skinny bitch' after morgan went down for a nap, and i was appalled by what i was reading. the book basically promotes veganism as a way of life and of getting healthy, but in its quest to do so, it brings to light the sheer disgust of the meat and dairy industries.
i've always been teetering on the edge of vegetarianism -- i love animals and when i stop and think about what i'm really eating when i cut into a steak, i can barely stand it, and i won't eat veal or lamb primarily for those reasons -- but i'm not what i think of as a typical 'veg-head.' i mean, i'm a conservative republican!! and i wear leather shoes, i enjoy dressing nicely and wearing makeup, and i'm a girly-girl, not some granola-eating, earthy-crunchy chick that doesn't shave her armpits -- or at least that's always been my narrow-minded view of what a vegetarian looks like. but this book made me look at it a whole different way -- basically, it espouses that if you put crap into your bodies, your body will look like crap, and that you should eat clean. it goes on to detail stories of what really happens inside a meat slaughterhouse, and alerts readers to the antibiotics, chemicals and shit (literally!!) that gets put into cattle, pigs, and chickens, which we, in turn, ingest whenever we eat those animals.
pretty much grossed me the hell out and gave me a wake-up call, that i don't want all those chemicals and antibiotics in my body and that, even though i can't change the meat industry and the inhumane way they treat and kill animals for food, i can do my little part by not contributing to the consumption. now comes the hard part....actually sticking to it when i smell seared cow flesh on the grill!! i'll be sharing my experiences here -- i'm starting slow and have signed an online pledge to go without meat for 30 days, so i'm looking forward to seeing how i feel without animal by-products in my system. Dork pretty much thinks this is all a big joke (he loves veal and said he's proud to be at the top of the food chain, so that's what i'm dealing with here...) and i told him i don't care if he eats meat, and i'll continue to prepare it for him and my daughter if they want it (although she's not a big meat eater, either). after all, it's my decision and i'm not forcing it on anyone, but hopefully in the process, i can help him be a little more aware of what he's eating, and we can do some creative cooking in the process!
it never fails that, when i'm in target, i have to stop by the books and magazine racks, just to browse and see what's new. i perused two paperbacks, 'harvesting the heart' by jodi picoult and one called 'momzillas,' which looked funny, since it was about the struggles of upper-crust mommies in manhattan. i put them both in my cart, since i'll need some good chick lit to read at the beach this summer (meaning, after my daughter goes to bed at night!), and another book finally beckoned me to pick it up. i've noticed 'skinny bitch' many times before when i browsed the book aisles but never picked up, but today i decided to, and even tossed it in my cart...i figured, i can spend $11.20 and if it teaches me at least one good weight-loss technique, then it's worth it, right?
since i hadn't started another book after finishing 'such a pretty fat' by jen lancaster two weeks ago, i cracked open 'skinny bitch' after morgan went down for a nap, and i was appalled by what i was reading. the book basically promotes veganism as a way of life and of getting healthy, but in its quest to do so, it brings to light the sheer disgust of the meat and dairy industries.
i've always been teetering on the edge of vegetarianism -- i love animals and when i stop and think about what i'm really eating when i cut into a steak, i can barely stand it, and i won't eat veal or lamb primarily for those reasons -- but i'm not what i think of as a typical 'veg-head.' i mean, i'm a conservative republican!! and i wear leather shoes, i enjoy dressing nicely and wearing makeup, and i'm a girly-girl, not some granola-eating, earthy-crunchy chick that doesn't shave her armpits -- or at least that's always been my narrow-minded view of what a vegetarian looks like. but this book made me look at it a whole different way -- basically, it espouses that if you put crap into your bodies, your body will look like crap, and that you should eat clean. it goes on to detail stories of what really happens inside a meat slaughterhouse, and alerts readers to the antibiotics, chemicals and shit (literally!!) that gets put into cattle, pigs, and chickens, which we, in turn, ingest whenever we eat those animals.
pretty much grossed me the hell out and gave me a wake-up call, that i don't want all those chemicals and antibiotics in my body and that, even though i can't change the meat industry and the inhumane way they treat and kill animals for food, i can do my little part by not contributing to the consumption. now comes the hard part....actually sticking to it when i smell seared cow flesh on the grill!! i'll be sharing my experiences here -- i'm starting slow and have signed an online pledge to go without meat for 30 days, so i'm looking forward to seeing how i feel without animal by-products in my system. Dork pretty much thinks this is all a big joke (he loves veal and said he's proud to be at the top of the food chain, so that's what i'm dealing with here...) and i told him i don't care if he eats meat, and i'll continue to prepare it for him and my daughter if they want it (although she's not a big meat eater, either). after all, it's my decision and i'm not forcing it on anyone, but hopefully in the process, i can help him be a little more aware of what he's eating, and we can do some creative cooking in the process!
Friday, June 13, 2008
the allure of PS3?
ok, would someone please explain something to me? what i can't figure out is my husband's obsession with all things play station, or, more accurately, why all he has been able to talk about for the past two weeks is that play station 3 (in the 80gb mode, as if that means anything) is being released and how he can't wait to get his hands on it.
ya know, i thought that having one play station was enough -- he's equipped with PS2 and a ton of games for it, and he even gets to jam out on guitar hero and be a big, bad rock god. apparently, this new one is so good that it will even cook dinner and change our daughter's diaper for us, in addition to having a blu-ray player and top of the line graphics! oooh, where do i sign up to get one?! after all, for $500, this baby had better be doing my laundry for me and watching the kid while i go shopping for a pair of manolos (which, incidentally, i could have for the same price).
and just getting excited about the new PS3 isn't enough -- i thought he was going to have a seizure last night when he was looking at the *PACKAGING* for the new systems online. i was watching diego with morgan and out of nowhere, i hear, "hey honey, look at the packaging on this." since diego didn't have his rescue pack out at the time (yes, it scares me how kid tv is overtaking my life...) i turn around to find Dork glued to the laptop with the screen turned around so that i could behold the really cool box that the PS3 comes in. but wait! there's more -- after all, there's not just *one* type of box that's available. evidently, there's a choice of packaging and he's pretty wound up about all the kinds that are available.
meanwhile, i'm wondering what the attraction is for a 30-something guy with a professional job and a child. sure, i had an atari hooked to my tv as a kid and video games were kinda cool when i was in high school, and i remember going to arcades with my friends when we were at the mall -- centipede was my fave, and i couldn't wait to shoot at the segments of the bug as it inched its way down the screen. but then i went to college and found boys, alcohol and my sorority more to my liking and the games went by the wayside. Dork, on the other hand, played video games and Dungeons & Dragons through college and (i can't even believe i'm saying this) he and his friends still play D&D as adults. the only difference? they now play online since everyone lives in different parts of the country. so now i can count on Dork to grab his headseat every few weekends and log on to their site so that he can talk live to his buddies while their characters (D&D as well as World of Warcraft) can interact together. maybe it's just me, but doesn't life itself have enough weird challenges and twists and turns, without having to create them in a fantasy realm? or maybe it's escaping reality that they really are looking for -- after all, even though i don't know too much about the D&D characters, i'm guessing they don't crap their diapers or spew barf on your new outfit as you're heading out the door, already running late for work. and if they did? i'm guessing men would be nowhere to be found.
ya know, i thought that having one play station was enough -- he's equipped with PS2 and a ton of games for it, and he even gets to jam out on guitar hero and be a big, bad rock god. apparently, this new one is so good that it will even cook dinner and change our daughter's diaper for us, in addition to having a blu-ray player and top of the line graphics! oooh, where do i sign up to get one?! after all, for $500, this baby had better be doing my laundry for me and watching the kid while i go shopping for a pair of manolos (which, incidentally, i could have for the same price).
and just getting excited about the new PS3 isn't enough -- i thought he was going to have a seizure last night when he was looking at the *PACKAGING* for the new systems online. i was watching diego with morgan and out of nowhere, i hear, "hey honey, look at the packaging on this." since diego didn't have his rescue pack out at the time (yes, it scares me how kid tv is overtaking my life...) i turn around to find Dork glued to the laptop with the screen turned around so that i could behold the really cool box that the PS3 comes in. but wait! there's more -- after all, there's not just *one* type of box that's available. evidently, there's a choice of packaging and he's pretty wound up about all the kinds that are available.
meanwhile, i'm wondering what the attraction is for a 30-something guy with a professional job and a child. sure, i had an atari hooked to my tv as a kid and video games were kinda cool when i was in high school, and i remember going to arcades with my friends when we were at the mall -- centipede was my fave, and i couldn't wait to shoot at the segments of the bug as it inched its way down the screen. but then i went to college and found boys, alcohol and my sorority more to my liking and the games went by the wayside. Dork, on the other hand, played video games and Dungeons & Dragons through college and (i can't even believe i'm saying this) he and his friends still play D&D as adults. the only difference? they now play online since everyone lives in different parts of the country. so now i can count on Dork to grab his headseat every few weekends and log on to their site so that he can talk live to his buddies while their characters (D&D as well as World of Warcraft) can interact together. maybe it's just me, but doesn't life itself have enough weird challenges and twists and turns, without having to create them in a fantasy realm? or maybe it's escaping reality that they really are looking for -- after all, even though i don't know too much about the D&D characters, i'm guessing they don't crap their diapers or spew barf on your new outfit as you're heading out the door, already running late for work. and if they did? i'm guessing men would be nowhere to be found.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
amusement parks? AAAHHCH!
back when i was a kid in the late 70's and early 80's, god love my parents for trying to make sure we had a fun family vacay every summer. it usually consisted of either trekking to a new jersey or maryland beach for time on the sand and on the boardwalk, or else hitting a place like hershey park, sea world, or kings' dominion for rides and amusement time.
now that i'm a parent, i can fully empathize with what my parents must have gone through, and that empathy process began this past weekend as the three of us spent 10 hours at hershey park. sure, i've gone to amusement parks as an adult and have been mildly put out by the lines, the rude people, and the cost of food, but i let it roll off my back because the fun time i spent with my friends or my then-boyfriend outweighed those little inconveniences.
but now that i'm responsible for the well-being of a certain very special two year-old little girl, the story changes. no longer am i content to ignore it when someone cuts in front of me or when i can't find a restroom with a clean diaper deck within a two-block radius. no, i'm now looking out for the fun and welfare of my little daughter and it's not just about me anymore (NOTE - coming from a self-indulgent only child, that preceding phrase is pretty profound).
it was a sweltering 90+ degree day with lots of humidity, but i braved the sun and heat so that morgan would have a fun time. i made sure she was sprayed throughout the day with WaterBabies, properly hydrated with bottles of water, and entertained on the kiddie log flume, choo-choo train and kissing tower. we even stood for an hour, waiting for Daddy to get on the Roller Soaker ride so that we could drench him with a water bomb from the ground. (hmmm, bet that's how i got totally fried on the back of my shoulders and knees!) and the time that i would typically have spent pre-morgan browsing through the cute little gift shops at the entrance were replaced with time spent waiting in line for a clean bathroom while trying (albeit unsuccessfully) to ignore the tattoos, green and purple hair and pierced navels of fellow line-waiters. instead of shopping for fun souvenirs, i spent my money on bottled water, burgers, and chicken fingers.
as i was wilting from the heat, i kept envisioning the water park looming up ahead and thinking how good a few little sprays of water would feel. well, it did feel good -- except the few little sprays of water were downpours, thanks to the little asshats who kept setting off the water bombs when morgan and i were standing nearby. so much for trying to look cute in my new tank and madras plaid shorts -- i looked like the loser in a wet t-shirt contest, and the hair that had been so perfectly flat-ironed just a few hours earlier was now frizzing and curling in the humidity. and of course the mascara i had so artfully applied and the perfect bare minerals makeup were now making their way down the sides of my face, and the underwear i had put on that morning were now creeping up into uncomfortable heights, thanks to my soaking wet shorts. the best part, though? all of my dry clothes were in my suitcase....which was back at the hotel. i felt sticky, stinky, and gross, and the fact that Dork didn't quite understand WHY i felt that way made it even worse. the fact that he's italian and has dark skin that never burns and hair that perfectly curls, no matter how wet it gets? that could be part of the issue.
i phoned my mom at one point to chat -- i think it was right after i spent $10 for a burger -- and check in with her, and it was then that i thanked her like i've never thanked her before. now that i'm a mom, i fully understand how she put on a happy face for me so i'd have a great vacation. but now i know that she was also probably counting down the minutes until the park closed and she could break out the flask and have her own little private party to celebrate the end of a wacky day!
now that i'm a parent, i can fully empathize with what my parents must have gone through, and that empathy process began this past weekend as the three of us spent 10 hours at hershey park. sure, i've gone to amusement parks as an adult and have been mildly put out by the lines, the rude people, and the cost of food, but i let it roll off my back because the fun time i spent with my friends or my then-boyfriend outweighed those little inconveniences.
but now that i'm responsible for the well-being of a certain very special two year-old little girl, the story changes. no longer am i content to ignore it when someone cuts in front of me or when i can't find a restroom with a clean diaper deck within a two-block radius. no, i'm now looking out for the fun and welfare of my little daughter and it's not just about me anymore (NOTE - coming from a self-indulgent only child, that preceding phrase is pretty profound).
it was a sweltering 90+ degree day with lots of humidity, but i braved the sun and heat so that morgan would have a fun time. i made sure she was sprayed throughout the day with WaterBabies, properly hydrated with bottles of water, and entertained on the kiddie log flume, choo-choo train and kissing tower. we even stood for an hour, waiting for Daddy to get on the Roller Soaker ride so that we could drench him with a water bomb from the ground. (hmmm, bet that's how i got totally fried on the back of my shoulders and knees!) and the time that i would typically have spent pre-morgan browsing through the cute little gift shops at the entrance were replaced with time spent waiting in line for a clean bathroom while trying (albeit unsuccessfully) to ignore the tattoos, green and purple hair and pierced navels of fellow line-waiters. instead of shopping for fun souvenirs, i spent my money on bottled water, burgers, and chicken fingers.
as i was wilting from the heat, i kept envisioning the water park looming up ahead and thinking how good a few little sprays of water would feel. well, it did feel good -- except the few little sprays of water were downpours, thanks to the little asshats who kept setting off the water bombs when morgan and i were standing nearby. so much for trying to look cute in my new tank and madras plaid shorts -- i looked like the loser in a wet t-shirt contest, and the hair that had been so perfectly flat-ironed just a few hours earlier was now frizzing and curling in the humidity. and of course the mascara i had so artfully applied and the perfect bare minerals makeup were now making their way down the sides of my face, and the underwear i had put on that morning were now creeping up into uncomfortable heights, thanks to my soaking wet shorts. the best part, though? all of my dry clothes were in my suitcase....which was back at the hotel. i felt sticky, stinky, and gross, and the fact that Dork didn't quite understand WHY i felt that way made it even worse. the fact that he's italian and has dark skin that never burns and hair that perfectly curls, no matter how wet it gets? that could be part of the issue.
i phoned my mom at one point to chat -- i think it was right after i spent $10 for a burger -- and check in with her, and it was then that i thanked her like i've never thanked her before. now that i'm a mom, i fully understand how she put on a happy face for me so i'd have a great vacation. but now i know that she was also probably counting down the minutes until the park closed and she could break out the flask and have her own little private party to celebrate the end of a wacky day!
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Random crap about moi
A big thank-you to licksthebowlinminneapolis.blogspot.com for this craptastic waste of time, but it was a great filler since i'm brain-dead today and don't have any exciting tales to tell!
1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? No, my mom just happened to like my name when she heard it, and the second part of my compound name is after my dad.
2. THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Hmmm....well i was pms'ing it earlier in the week, so i've gotta say it was when i watched a commercial with a little baby and mom. yeah, i'm a real nutbar when it comes to controlling my emotions when aunt flo's in town.
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Only when i write with sharpie extra-fine point pens or other fine-point markers. and, i like my printing a lot but my writing? not so much.
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Turkey
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? yup, one of them, in the female model.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I think i would be, because i'm fun and like to have a good time. but, i also can be judgmental/snarky, overly consumed with whatever i'm doing at the time, bitchy, catty, and i sometimes think the world revolves around me.
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? never in the office but at home? i have to to keep up with Dork, so definitely.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yep.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP ? i like to try lots of different things, but a thrill-seeker i am not, so that would be a big fat NOT ON UR LIFE! i'm pretty much a wimp when it comes to thrill-seeking behavior.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Kashi Go Lean Crunch!
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? sometimes.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? i have really strong legs, but wussy girl-arms.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? mint chocolate chip and choc chip cookie dough
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? hair and eyes
15. RED OR PINK? pink
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF? my only child syndrome and the fact that i feel i need to control everything.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My Dad
18. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Khaki pants and navy sandals.
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? parmesan flavored triscuts
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? live365.com and am checking out an 80s station
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? burnt sienna (love the name!)
23. FAVORITE SMELLS? fall leaves, burning leaves, freshly washed towels, D&G light blue, The Hub after he takes a shower and spritzes on Acqua di Gio
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My co-worker who is traveling today.
25. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Hockey, football
26. HAIR COLOR? Real or now? real color is dishwater blonde/mousy brown. color now is dk. blonde with highlights
27. EYE COLOR? hazel
28. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? no but i think i will need them soon -- i can't see anything close up!
29. FAVORITE FOOD? pizza, chicken, pasta
30. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? happy -- real life has enough scare to it :-(
31. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Knocked Up
32. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Navy sweater & navy/white tee
33. WINTER OR SUMMER? Summer
34. HUGS OR KISSES? kisses
35. FAVORITE DESSERT? cake or toll-house pie
36. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? The Right Address
37. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Greetings from Las Vegas!
38. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT? Dora and Diego with my daughter, then shut it off when she went to bed and played on the 'puter.
39. FAVORITE SOUND? Rain, surf sounds at the beach
40. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Stones
41. WHAT IS THE FURTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? St. Lucia
42. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? the uncanny ability to recall cheesy 80's songs and lyrics at a moment's notice
43. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Altoona, Pennsylvania
1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? No, my mom just happened to like my name when she heard it, and the second part of my compound name is after my dad.
2. THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Hmmm....well i was pms'ing it earlier in the week, so i've gotta say it was when i watched a commercial with a little baby and mom. yeah, i'm a real nutbar when it comes to controlling my emotions when aunt flo's in town.
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Only when i write with sharpie extra-fine point pens or other fine-point markers. and, i like my printing a lot but my writing? not so much.
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Turkey
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? yup, one of them, in the female model.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I think i would be, because i'm fun and like to have a good time. but, i also can be judgmental/snarky, overly consumed with whatever i'm doing at the time, bitchy, catty, and i sometimes think the world revolves around me.
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? never in the office but at home? i have to to keep up with Dork, so definitely.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yep.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP ? i like to try lots of different things, but a thrill-seeker i am not, so that would be a big fat NOT ON UR LIFE! i'm pretty much a wimp when it comes to thrill-seeking behavior.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Kashi Go Lean Crunch!
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? sometimes.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? i have really strong legs, but wussy girl-arms.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? mint chocolate chip and choc chip cookie dough
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? hair and eyes
15. RED OR PINK? pink
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF? my only child syndrome and the fact that i feel i need to control everything.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My Dad
18. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Khaki pants and navy sandals.
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? parmesan flavored triscuts
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? live365.com and am checking out an 80s station
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? burnt sienna (love the name!)
23. FAVORITE SMELLS? fall leaves, burning leaves, freshly washed towels, D&G light blue, The Hub after he takes a shower and spritzes on Acqua di Gio
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My co-worker who is traveling today.
25. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Hockey, football
26. HAIR COLOR? Real or now? real color is dishwater blonde/mousy brown. color now is dk. blonde with highlights
27. EYE COLOR? hazel
28. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? no but i think i will need them soon -- i can't see anything close up!
29. FAVORITE FOOD? pizza, chicken, pasta
30. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? happy -- real life has enough scare to it :-(
31. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Knocked Up
32. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Navy sweater & navy/white tee
33. WINTER OR SUMMER? Summer
34. HUGS OR KISSES? kisses
35. FAVORITE DESSERT? cake or toll-house pie
36. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? The Right Address
37. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Greetings from Las Vegas!
38. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT? Dora and Diego with my daughter, then shut it off when she went to bed and played on the 'puter.
39. FAVORITE SOUND? Rain, surf sounds at the beach
40. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Stones
41. WHAT IS THE FURTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? St. Lucia
42. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? the uncanny ability to recall cheesy 80's songs and lyrics at a moment's notice
43. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Altoona, Pennsylvania
Monday, June 2, 2008
i did it!!!
so what would a mommy blog be without a good poop or pee story? tonight, Dork and i were sitting down for dinner (yes, a home-cooked meal that he made....steaks on the grill....which i was loving, since i had worked at a golf tournament all day and was tired, since i had a rough day of sitting in the sun and drinking beer while selling 'double your money' chances! ah, the life of a working mom!! lol).
we were savoring the aroma of juicy, freshly charred cow muscle when i heard grunting. i looked over and my daughter was bracing herself on the side of her highchair, her face getting redder by the second. she keeps pushing and then stops, gives her daddy and i a huge smile, then proceeds to throw her hands in the air and proclaim loudly, "I DID IT!!!" Dork and I crack up and tears are rolling down our faces as we congratulate her on her exciting feat and on what a big girl she is! Unfortunately, the aroma of the steaks is quickly being replaced by yet another aroma that's not nearly as pleasant.
As we draw straws over who gets to stop eating and change her, I silently hope and pray that my husband doesn't expect the same kind of fanfare whenever *he* makes a doo-doo, as he has been known to describe to me on more than one occasion the quality, amount, and aroma of said doo-doo. he and my daughter can compare notes if that happens -- mommy will be nowhere to be found, at least not within smelling range.
we were savoring the aroma of juicy, freshly charred cow muscle when i heard grunting. i looked over and my daughter was bracing herself on the side of her highchair, her face getting redder by the second. she keeps pushing and then stops, gives her daddy and i a huge smile, then proceeds to throw her hands in the air and proclaim loudly, "I DID IT!!!" Dork and I crack up and tears are rolling down our faces as we congratulate her on her exciting feat and on what a big girl she is! Unfortunately, the aroma of the steaks is quickly being replaced by yet another aroma that's not nearly as pleasant.
As we draw straws over who gets to stop eating and change her, I silently hope and pray that my husband doesn't expect the same kind of fanfare whenever *he* makes a doo-doo, as he has been known to describe to me on more than one occasion the quality, amount, and aroma of said doo-doo. he and my daughter can compare notes if that happens -- mommy will be nowhere to be found, at least not within smelling range.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
like a kid with a skinned knee
if you recall, my last post talked about how i was incapacitated for a few days with a sore back...well, if you didn't think i was a klutz before reading this, you'll be sure of it now!
so? my child was taking her afternoon nap and my mom and i decided that we needed to do some cleaning and reorganizing in our basement family room. we sorted through old christmas decorations, got rid of papers, and packed all of our junk into huge boxes that Dork had stashed into the storage room (never could quite figure out why we needed to save boxes from a tv we got a few years ago or from our daughter's carseat, but hey, they did come in handy now).
my mom and i were just about done and were carting the junk outside to put out for the trash hauler so he'd get rid of it tomorrow morning, when the flip-flops i was wearing decided to have a mind of their own and latch onto the side of the step on our front patio. down i went, the box i was carrying went flying, and instead of quickly recovering from the misstep, i made like a five year-old who was falling off a swing (with about 30 years added on) and landed right on both of my knees on the concrete driveway, then caught myself with my hands (albeit, a little too late).
i laid there for a second, not quite realizing what had happened, and when i drug myself up off the ground, blood was squirting from both knees, my back was throbbing, and i felt like a complete idiot. i had to take it easy for the rest of the day since my back was killing me...and i have to take a break from wearing shorts for a few weeks. either that, or my klutz secret won't be much of a secret anymore!
so? my child was taking her afternoon nap and my mom and i decided that we needed to do some cleaning and reorganizing in our basement family room. we sorted through old christmas decorations, got rid of papers, and packed all of our junk into huge boxes that Dork had stashed into the storage room (never could quite figure out why we needed to save boxes from a tv we got a few years ago or from our daughter's carseat, but hey, they did come in handy now).
my mom and i were just about done and were carting the junk outside to put out for the trash hauler so he'd get rid of it tomorrow morning, when the flip-flops i was wearing decided to have a mind of their own and latch onto the side of the step on our front patio. down i went, the box i was carrying went flying, and instead of quickly recovering from the misstep, i made like a five year-old who was falling off a swing (with about 30 years added on) and landed right on both of my knees on the concrete driveway, then caught myself with my hands (albeit, a little too late).
i laid there for a second, not quite realizing what had happened, and when i drug myself up off the ground, blood was squirting from both knees, my back was throbbing, and i felt like a complete idiot. i had to take it easy for the rest of the day since my back was killing me...and i have to take a break from wearing shorts for a few weeks. either that, or my klutz secret won't be much of a secret anymore!
Friday, May 23, 2008
kids can sometimes be a pain...literally!
my poor daughter's had a cough on and off for the past few days, and last evening it seemed a bit worse, so i had a bad feeling that i'd be awakened sometime during the night to "mamamamamama" and arms reaching up from her crib, wanting to be comforted.
sure enough, after an evening of last comic standing and fighting off the head-bobs to stay awake long enough to watch newly-crowned idol david cook on leno, i drifted off to sleep for two short hours. her sweet little voice cried out for me at 2:30 am, and we snuggled on the couch for a few hours until she finally drifted off.
ever since she was a tiny baby, she's enjoyed resting her head on my tummy and stretching her legs out in the middle of my legs. she'll often fall asleep like that, and last night, after she snoozed in my arms for awhile, i placed her there in her favorite comfy spot. unfortunately, it didn't turn out to be my comfy spot, because when she awakened at 5:30 am wanting to tune into whatever was on Noggin, I got up from the sofa and a stabbing pain traveled through my lower back and on down into my left leg. i had sciatica problems when i was pregnant with her and they'll sometimes recur when i pick up something (like my daughter) and i'm thrown off-balance. i wasn't expecting that a 26 pound little toddler lying on me would cause such pain!
fortunately, i had no meetings or pressing projects this morning in the office, so i let the hot shower soothe my frazzled nerve endings and let the meds kick in while i stretched out in my empty bed for an extra hour or so. the pain's eased up a little as i sit at my desk in my comfy ergonomic chair, and hopefully it will be a pain-free night as i contemplate what to cook for dinner, spend time playing with my daughter and finally ease into the long weekend. happy memorial day!
sure enough, after an evening of last comic standing and fighting off the head-bobs to stay awake long enough to watch newly-crowned idol david cook on leno, i drifted off to sleep for two short hours. her sweet little voice cried out for me at 2:30 am, and we snuggled on the couch for a few hours until she finally drifted off.
ever since she was a tiny baby, she's enjoyed resting her head on my tummy and stretching her legs out in the middle of my legs. she'll often fall asleep like that, and last night, after she snoozed in my arms for awhile, i placed her there in her favorite comfy spot. unfortunately, it didn't turn out to be my comfy spot, because when she awakened at 5:30 am wanting to tune into whatever was on Noggin, I got up from the sofa and a stabbing pain traveled through my lower back and on down into my left leg. i had sciatica problems when i was pregnant with her and they'll sometimes recur when i pick up something (like my daughter) and i'm thrown off-balance. i wasn't expecting that a 26 pound little toddler lying on me would cause such pain!
fortunately, i had no meetings or pressing projects this morning in the office, so i let the hot shower soothe my frazzled nerve endings and let the meds kick in while i stretched out in my empty bed for an extra hour or so. the pain's eased up a little as i sit at my desk in my comfy ergonomic chair, and hopefully it will be a pain-free night as i contemplate what to cook for dinner, spend time playing with my daughter and finally ease into the long weekend. happy memorial day!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
what did i do wrong?!
picture this -- i'm pulling out of the driveway this morning with my daughter in tow, heading to drop her off at daycare and then to work. i pass Dork a few blocks from home, and he has his window rolled down and is waving at me.
i pull close enough to 'high five' him, and he tells me he went to get me breakfast and proceeds to hand over a huge coffee and a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich (and this isn't just micky dees, either..., it's panera, so it's the decent, no-trans-fat-filled stuff that he went out of his way to get).
i thank him, blow him a kiss, drop off the kid, and then, as i've got the radio cranked on my way to work, it dawns on me. my husband, being of the male species that he is, didn't get me breakfast for no reason at all...either he knows he's about to land in the doghouse for something he did and is trying to dig himself out before i find out, or he's trying to make me feel guilty for something i didn't do. turns out it's the latter.
"honey, i was just thinking," i say to him on my cell as i'm driving up the road that leads to my office parking lot, "why did you *really* get me breakfast?!" he acted a little taken off-guard at first, but then lets me have it....lo and behold, i've been a little 'surly' to him lately and he was just trying to cheer me up. (but as my female co-worker so aptly pointed out, he's also rewarding my bad behavior! of course i'll stay bitchy if it means i get a treat every morning...)
i admit, sometimes i am surly....i've always been the kind of person who seems like i'm always in a good mood and pretty positive, and i usually am....but when i'm not, i only let it show at home. my friends and co-workers have never seen me really mad or pissed off....the only person who really gets the brunt of my anger or surliness is him. sometimes i guess from being 'on' all day and from juggling work, a home, and being a mom and wife, i let down my guard at home and get into my 'leave me the f#$& alone' mode (especially late at night after the little one's gone to sleep and he's surfing through 32 different channels over the course of a two-minute commercial break while simultaneously surfing the web and not talking to me even though we haven't seen each other for more than a few hours over the past couple of days...oh wait, do i sound bitter about that?!)
and speaking of being bitter....when the eff is the sun ever going to come out?! we've had so much rain and coldness lately, i forget what the sun looks like, even though i think i saw it for a few minutes this morning. i really want to take my daughter to the park that's two blocks from our house -- she loves the swings and running through the grass, but it's been so muddy lately. i know we'll have lots of time to do that this summer, but i get impatient!
i pull close enough to 'high five' him, and he tells me he went to get me breakfast and proceeds to hand over a huge coffee and a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich (and this isn't just micky dees, either..., it's panera, so it's the decent, no-trans-fat-filled stuff that he went out of his way to get).
i thank him, blow him a kiss, drop off the kid, and then, as i've got the radio cranked on my way to work, it dawns on me. my husband, being of the male species that he is, didn't get me breakfast for no reason at all...either he knows he's about to land in the doghouse for something he did and is trying to dig himself out before i find out, or he's trying to make me feel guilty for something i didn't do. turns out it's the latter.
"honey, i was just thinking," i say to him on my cell as i'm driving up the road that leads to my office parking lot, "why did you *really* get me breakfast?!" he acted a little taken off-guard at first, but then lets me have it....lo and behold, i've been a little 'surly' to him lately and he was just trying to cheer me up. (but as my female co-worker so aptly pointed out, he's also rewarding my bad behavior! of course i'll stay bitchy if it means i get a treat every morning...)
i admit, sometimes i am surly....i've always been the kind of person who seems like i'm always in a good mood and pretty positive, and i usually am....but when i'm not, i only let it show at home. my friends and co-workers have never seen me really mad or pissed off....the only person who really gets the brunt of my anger or surliness is him. sometimes i guess from being 'on' all day and from juggling work, a home, and being a mom and wife, i let down my guard at home and get into my 'leave me the f#$& alone' mode (especially late at night after the little one's gone to sleep and he's surfing through 32 different channels over the course of a two-minute commercial break while simultaneously surfing the web and not talking to me even though we haven't seen each other for more than a few hours over the past couple of days...oh wait, do i sound bitter about that?!)
and speaking of being bitter....when the eff is the sun ever going to come out?! we've had so much rain and coldness lately, i forget what the sun looks like, even though i think i saw it for a few minutes this morning. i really want to take my daughter to the park that's two blocks from our house -- she loves the swings and running through the grass, but it's been so muddy lately. i know we'll have lots of time to do that this summer, but i get impatient!
randomness....
ok, so i've seen this on other blogs and since i don't have anything particularly profound to write at this minute, here are....
Ten completely mundane facts about me:
10. i don't know how to light a match. i've tried many, many times but for some reason, can't get the hang of it....so if i don't have a lighter handy, my candles sit unlit.
9. i tend to not use caps when i type, and especially when i blog. not sure why...maybe from being a journalism major and always having to play 'by the rules' with my grammar?
8. i'm an only child.
7. my first pet was a goldfish (named, aptly, goldie)....after that, i had a turtle (toby), some hermit crabs, a tankful of goldfish, and now, two cats (callie & cleo) and a beagle (snoopy).
6. i played a man in a theater production! a few years ago, Dork and i were in a summer production of "arsenic and old lace" at allegheny highlands regional theatre, and i played dr. einstein, who had a mustache and dressed in baggy clothing. i adopted a deep voice and sinister laugh, and for about five seconds, even considered cutting my shoulder-length hair off to look like a man's....but then i came to my senses and ended up slicking it back over my ears and tucking in back in a hidden ponytail.
5. the first real job i had was a cashier at a supermarket when i was 16 years old. i was shy as a kid but couldn't wait to start working (to overcome that 'spoiled only child' stigma! lol) and got to talk to lots of interesting people and made new friends with my co-workers (and even got some dates out of the deal...), and overcame my shyness by talking to so many strangers.
4. i don't have a middle name....i have two first names but no middle name. when i got married, i hyphenated, and now i have four names (guess that more than makes up for my lack of a middle name!)
3. my dream job in the whole world is to do public relations for disney -- i think it would be lots of fun to coordinate promotions for a world-known place of family fun. either that or being a dj (i'm a music fanatic and would love to get paid for playing music and talking about it!)
2. i have a food phobia about warm and mushy foods, and certain textures of foods just ick me out (so much that i feel sick when i go to eat them).
1. i always knew i wanted to be some form of journalist, from the time i was quoted by my hometown newspaper in third grade about a science project that i did, to the time i had to do a career report in seventh grade and wrote to a tv reporter in pittsburgh about the news reporting field and she actually answered me back and sealed my future career plans.
Ten completely mundane facts about me:
10. i don't know how to light a match. i've tried many, many times but for some reason, can't get the hang of it....so if i don't have a lighter handy, my candles sit unlit.
9. i tend to not use caps when i type, and especially when i blog. not sure why...maybe from being a journalism major and always having to play 'by the rules' with my grammar?
8. i'm an only child.
7. my first pet was a goldfish (named, aptly, goldie)....after that, i had a turtle (toby), some hermit crabs, a tankful of goldfish, and now, two cats (callie & cleo) and a beagle (snoopy).
6. i played a man in a theater production! a few years ago, Dork and i were in a summer production of "arsenic and old lace" at allegheny highlands regional theatre, and i played dr. einstein, who had a mustache and dressed in baggy clothing. i adopted a deep voice and sinister laugh, and for about five seconds, even considered cutting my shoulder-length hair off to look like a man's....but then i came to my senses and ended up slicking it back over my ears and tucking in back in a hidden ponytail.
5. the first real job i had was a cashier at a supermarket when i was 16 years old. i was shy as a kid but couldn't wait to start working (to overcome that 'spoiled only child' stigma! lol) and got to talk to lots of interesting people and made new friends with my co-workers (and even got some dates out of the deal...), and overcame my shyness by talking to so many strangers.
4. i don't have a middle name....i have two first names but no middle name. when i got married, i hyphenated, and now i have four names (guess that more than makes up for my lack of a middle name!)
3. my dream job in the whole world is to do public relations for disney -- i think it would be lots of fun to coordinate promotions for a world-known place of family fun. either that or being a dj (i'm a music fanatic and would love to get paid for playing music and talking about it!)
2. i have a food phobia about warm and mushy foods, and certain textures of foods just ick me out (so much that i feel sick when i go to eat them).
1. i always knew i wanted to be some form of journalist, from the time i was quoted by my hometown newspaper in third grade about a science project that i did, to the time i had to do a career report in seventh grade and wrote to a tv reporter in pittsburgh about the news reporting field and she actually answered me back and sealed my future career plans.
Friday, May 16, 2008
tgif?
it's a dreary day today; in fact, if i didn't know it was the beginning of may, i couldn't tell the difference between a dreary february day and today, other than by looking at the trees. it's raining and cold, and would have been a great day to stay in bed and read a book, other then the fact that i do work full time and had things to do today!
i'm glad it's friday and the end of the work week, but i was busy last weekend with work events and i'll be busy this weekend, too, so it's not really much of a break. in case i didn't mention earlier, Dork also works on the weekends (he's off mondays and tuesdays....which will be the topic of a whole other entry...don't even get me started!) so, besides work events this weekend, i'm a single mom every weekend. it's great because i get her all to myself, but doing things together as a family like going to the park or taking a day trip are just out of the question. i also miss the times that he'd spend having breakfast with her while i finished my second cup of coffee and caught up on one or two chapters of whatever book i was reading at the time. that's changed, though, since he got a promotion, and now my weekends are filled with mommy and baby time.
i'm supposed to help plant flowers for a service project that my mom's group is doing tomorrow (but praying for rain so that we can stay inside in our jammies and watch tv and color together!) and am scooping ice cream for a work event sunday....but it's supposed to be cold all weekend, so i better dig the sweatshirt out and trade in my flip-flops for sneakers. and, given the only 'sneakers' i wear are pink & gray ralph lauren girlie-girl ones that aren't very warm, i'll still be cold! (yes, i believe in wearing sneakers to the gym, not as a fashion accessory....i'm weird like that...or maybe i'm not the weird one, but the people who actually walk around with suits and sneakers on are the crazies!)
i'm glad it's friday and the end of the work week, but i was busy last weekend with work events and i'll be busy this weekend, too, so it's not really much of a break. in case i didn't mention earlier, Dork also works on the weekends (he's off mondays and tuesdays....which will be the topic of a whole other entry...don't even get me started!) so, besides work events this weekend, i'm a single mom every weekend. it's great because i get her all to myself, but doing things together as a family like going to the park or taking a day trip are just out of the question. i also miss the times that he'd spend having breakfast with her while i finished my second cup of coffee and caught up on one or two chapters of whatever book i was reading at the time. that's changed, though, since he got a promotion, and now my weekends are filled with mommy and baby time.
i'm supposed to help plant flowers for a service project that my mom's group is doing tomorrow (but praying for rain so that we can stay inside in our jammies and watch tv and color together!) and am scooping ice cream for a work event sunday....but it's supposed to be cold all weekend, so i better dig the sweatshirt out and trade in my flip-flops for sneakers. and, given the only 'sneakers' i wear are pink & gray ralph lauren girlie-girl ones that aren't very warm, i'll still be cold! (yes, i believe in wearing sneakers to the gym, not as a fashion accessory....i'm weird like that...or maybe i'm not the weird one, but the people who actually walk around with suits and sneakers on are the crazies!)
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
feeling guilty for not feeling guilty...
one of the best parts of my job is that i get to travel and meet with alumni and donors for the college where i work, and that means i often get to stay over if i'm going to be out of town. because i have a two year-old, my single male colleague usually does the bulk of the extended travel, but i still have a night or two each month away from home.
i felt bad about being away from home when i first started the job last year -- my daughter had just turned one and, in my mind, was still a baby who needed me there 24/7. now that she's two, i don't feel so bad about not being there every minute of the day; she has a great time with my mom and my hubby, and it makes the time that i am with her all that more special. but i still can't help feeling a bit guilty as i sit in my hotel room outside of d.c., savoring the last few chapters of jen lancaster's "such a pretty fat" without the interruption of cries or 'mamamamamamama.' a tiny part of me feels bad that i'm not with her at this minute, but the rest of me is savoring the trip...the crisp, pristine white sheets...the floor that i can step down on without fear of breaking a crayon into bits or feeling the sharp corner of a wooden block on my bare foot...and the simple fact that i could watch all of 'american idol' without Dork flipping through 37 channels during the commercial break.
sitting here with my book on my lap, tv tuned to one channel, and laptop open and sitting beside me on the bed makes me fondly reminisce about my single days, before Dork and morgan, when i could watch whatever i wanted without interruptions and when i knew that my computer was safe without the threat of tiny fingers tapping on it or spilling cereal on the keyboard. but then i remember the sound of her little laugh, and how my heart almost bursts every day when i pick her up from school and she runs over to see me, yelling 'mamamama' and hugging my legs, and suddenly those 'happy' memories of being single and carefree aren't as appealing after all. see, i'm lucky because i get the best of both worlds, and i couldn't be happier....guilt or no guilt.
i felt bad about being away from home when i first started the job last year -- my daughter had just turned one and, in my mind, was still a baby who needed me there 24/7. now that she's two, i don't feel so bad about not being there every minute of the day; she has a great time with my mom and my hubby, and it makes the time that i am with her all that more special. but i still can't help feeling a bit guilty as i sit in my hotel room outside of d.c., savoring the last few chapters of jen lancaster's "such a pretty fat" without the interruption of cries or 'mamamamamamama.' a tiny part of me feels bad that i'm not with her at this minute, but the rest of me is savoring the trip...the crisp, pristine white sheets...the floor that i can step down on without fear of breaking a crayon into bits or feeling the sharp corner of a wooden block on my bare foot...and the simple fact that i could watch all of 'american idol' without Dork flipping through 37 channels during the commercial break.
sitting here with my book on my lap, tv tuned to one channel, and laptop open and sitting beside me on the bed makes me fondly reminisce about my single days, before Dork and morgan, when i could watch whatever i wanted without interruptions and when i knew that my computer was safe without the threat of tiny fingers tapping on it or spilling cereal on the keyboard. but then i remember the sound of her little laugh, and how my heart almost bursts every day when i pick her up from school and she runs over to see me, yelling 'mamamama' and hugging my legs, and suddenly those 'happy' memories of being single and carefree aren't as appealing after all. see, i'm lucky because i get the best of both worlds, and i couldn't be happier....guilt or no guilt.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Cinco De Mayo
So I had a lousy day yesterday -- just busy with lots of meetings -- and my daughter has been a holy terror. Between throwing tantrums and every other word out of her mouth being "mine!", I had a PMS-induced breakdown last night.
In typical "I need to control everything everything" fashion, I was browsing through the rack of Mother's Day cards at our local Target, with my daughter sitting in the cart and my husband nearby. As I'm browsing through the cards, I see the most adorable card that a little girl should send to her mommy, and I show it to Dork, who proceeds to tell me that that would ruin the surprise if he'd buy me that card, and that he had everything taken care of. (This is coming from the man who, on my first Mother's Day, thought it would be sweet to give me a card 'from my daughter' that talked about farting....so you can see why I feel the need to tell my husband the type of appropriate cards that he should be picking!)
So when I see the cute, sappy card, I start crying and tell Dork that he has no taste in picking out cards and that he just doesn't understand what being a mom is all about...and blah, blah, blah, right in the middle of Target. My two year-old, of course, is just sitting in the cart looking at me and laughing, and my husband then tells her that they should take a walk "since Mommy will be awhile at the cards." That really makes me look like a blubbering idiot, since I'm now standing at the card display crying....and my husband and kid have left, so I'm there alone.
I pull myself together and go browse at the makeup display to take my mind off of what I was doing (and besides, since I'm PMS-ing it, I needed a bit of a shopping fix and figured a few new lipsticks should make me happy). The family meets up with me and we go on our merry way home, and as I'm changing my daughter and putting her in her jammies, I hear Dork rustling around in the kitchen. Turns out that he decides that I could use a drink, and a pitcher of margaritas, complete with chips, salsa, and a salt-rimmed glass, are waiting for me in the kitchen after I put her to bed. Guess it's not such a bad Cinco de Mayo after all, even if I am bloated and bitchy!
In typical "I need to control everything everything" fashion, I was browsing through the rack of Mother's Day cards at our local Target, with my daughter sitting in the cart and my husband nearby. As I'm browsing through the cards, I see the most adorable card that a little girl should send to her mommy, and I show it to Dork, who proceeds to tell me that that would ruin the surprise if he'd buy me that card, and that he had everything taken care of. (This is coming from the man who, on my first Mother's Day, thought it would be sweet to give me a card 'from my daughter' that talked about farting....so you can see why I feel the need to tell my husband the type of appropriate cards that he should be picking!)
So when I see the cute, sappy card, I start crying and tell Dork that he has no taste in picking out cards and that he just doesn't understand what being a mom is all about...and blah, blah, blah, right in the middle of Target. My two year-old, of course, is just sitting in the cart looking at me and laughing, and my husband then tells her that they should take a walk "since Mommy will be awhile at the cards." That really makes me look like a blubbering idiot, since I'm now standing at the card display crying....and my husband and kid have left, so I'm there alone.
I pull myself together and go browse at the makeup display to take my mind off of what I was doing (and besides, since I'm PMS-ing it, I needed a bit of a shopping fix and figured a few new lipsticks should make me happy). The family meets up with me and we go on our merry way home, and as I'm changing my daughter and putting her in her jammies, I hear Dork rustling around in the kitchen. Turns out that he decides that I could use a drink, and a pitcher of margaritas, complete with chips, salsa, and a salt-rimmed glass, are waiting for me in the kitchen after I put her to bed. Guess it's not such a bad Cinco de Mayo after all, even if I am bloated and bitchy!
Sunday, May 4, 2008
here it is...
...my foray into blog-dum. Well, it's not really my first foray -- I've started blogs on other sites and just never kept up with them for one reason or another (my boss walking in my office as I was getting ready to uplod the latest pics of my daughter to my blog may be a good reason). I also had one on Blogger that I lost all of the previous entries when it converted over to the new version -- so I guess I'm SOL and will need to start fresh with my blogging.
What better time to start my new attempts at blogging than on a Sunday night around 9:30 pm when I'm should be working on some reports that I need to turn in in the morning at work -- but no, I wasn't feeling 'inspired' writing the reports. Not quite sure what I'm hoping will inspire me as I find myself doing head bobs as I stare at the laptop while I'm sitting in bed, but hopefully some inspiration will come and knock me over the head with it!!
What better time to start my new attempts at blogging than on a Sunday night around 9:30 pm when I'm should be working on some reports that I need to turn in in the morning at work -- but no, I wasn't feeling 'inspired' writing the reports. Not quite sure what I'm hoping will inspire me as I find myself doing head bobs as I stare at the laptop while I'm sitting in bed, but hopefully some inspiration will come and knock me over the head with it!!
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